A group of would-be ghost hunters, seeking internet fame, breaks into an abandoned asylum in search of evidence of the supernatural. But instead of creaking floorboards and flickering lights, they find a lot more than they bargained for.

There are apparitions that can only be seen through a camera, not with the naked eye, and there’s even a demon, in the form of a nurse, who tries to trick them into staying – for eternity.

In other words there’s rather more spooky action than we used to see on Living TV’s Most Haunted (with its temperature changes and ‘light anomalies’). Because this isn’t a documentary (at least I hope it isn’t) – it’s a live-action horror project by acclaimed animation director Mike Gasaway (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron etc).

Help Me First! is a short prequel to a projected feature, Help Me!

“It’s a little odd in the fact that we are doing the ‘prequel’ first,” he told me. “I’m doing this because since I’m moving from animation to live action, I have to prove that I can do live action.

“Believe it or not, it’s been a sticking point for me. I’ve directed over 30 shows and yet that’s not enough for investors. So I decided to write a feature and then write a short that is the prequel to the feature.”

A crowdfunding campaign is now (February 2016) underway on Kickstarter, with the aim of raising $33,000 for shooting to start in April (2016).

One of the stars, Maggie Carr, explains in the promo video: “We have an amazing SFX team, we have an amazing writer and director, we have beautiful actors and actresses, but we need money, so please ‘help me – first’. Geddit?”

Got it! The Kickstarter invites donations from $10 to $10,000, with a whole range of perks. So, if you’re into this kind of thing (and as you’re in the Piece of Pink Pie Zone, there’s a fair chance you are), do take a look. Oh – maybe look through a camera – just in case.

Also, you may like Mike’s blog The Path to a Movie.