Panic Fest 2026 Review: ‘Creature Of The Pines’ Is An Interesting Found Footage Horror That Walks A Beaten Path

The ripped-from-the-headlines social thriller is currently in production, and the story behind it is just as compelling as the one unfolding on screen.

When filmmakers Sean Michael Gloria-Orn and Cailan Gloria-Orn decided they were done waiting on film industry green lights, they set out to build something on their own terms. The goal was simple: create something meaningful while raising awareness around a growing issue. Then, right when they needed it most, a new independent cinema ecosystem, ShoStak.tv, and the “First 150” Film Challenge found them.

_CIVILIAN, the debut micro-series from Alien Outlaw Media, follows a group of tenants forced to choose between compliance and survival after a predatory power company begins hiking energy costs to compensate for AI data centers, until one ordinary man becomes an unwitting symbol of resistance.

It’s a thriller pulled straight from the kinds of headlines most of us have already scrolled past and quietly dreaded. Monopolized energy systems. Power bills climbing into the thousands. The creeping realization that the system was never designed to protect you.

And this is only the beginning.

Watch the trailer for _CIVILIAN below:

The concept is built to expand far beyond the central issue explored in Season One, tapping into a broader range of everyday fears experienced by modern civilians.

_CIVILIAN was made with a skeleton crew of just three people. Sean writes, directs, handled audio on the pilot, and edits. Cailan, stepping behind the camera for the first time, operates camera while also appearing in the series. Their close friend and photographer Justin Blaine Miller handled slate and captured behind-the-scenes photography.

A married couple and a few friends proving something the industry tends to forget. With enough conviction, a great story doesn’t require permission.

_CIVILIAN is being created as part of the ShoStak.tv “First 150” Film Challenge and debuts Episode One: Powerless on the internet-native cinema platform built to support independent filmmakers bold enough to create on their own terms.

ShoStak isn’t just another platform. It’s part of a growing shift toward creator-first ecosystems that actually reward filmmakers for building an audience. ShoStak.tv pays creators based on the audiences they bring in, putting the power back where it belongs.

It’s exactly the kind of project the platform was built for, and exactly the kind of grounded, real-world horror many people are already living through.

Follow _CIVILIAN creator Sean Michael Gloria on Instagram at @seanmichaelgloria for the latest updates. “Episode One: Powerless” premiered exclusively on ShoStak.tv on Friday, May 1, 2026. Watch episode one here.

The micro-series is still casting in Atlanta and currently stars:

@seanmichaelgloria
@cailanorn
@gordontdanniels
@blaikelewis
@brettbrooks
@marcusnelson
@phaemonae.555
@devinellingwood