Johnston County Filmmaker Returns Home For Horror Project

SELMA, N.C. — A Johnston County native is bringing his passion for horror filmmaking home, with production set to begin later this month on the pilot episode of a new independent web series that will be filmed in downtown Selma.

Jeff Daughtry, a 1998 graduate of South Johnston High School who grew up in the Cleveland community, is the writer, director and producer behind PostMortem: The Web Series, an original horror anthology inspired by classics like The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt.

The pilot episode, “On the Rocks,” is scheduled to begin filming in late August at The Quantum Toad in downtown Selma.

While Daughtry now operates Garner-based Dead Serious Studios, he said Johnston County was the natural choice for the project’s first filming location.

“My parents are both from Johnston County — my father from Brogden and my mother from Four Oaks,” Daughtry said. “I lived the first 44 years of my life in Johnston County, growing up in the Cleveland community.”

The opportunity to film in Selma came through longtime friend Matt Wilkins, owner of Combined Mindz Tattoo in downtown Selma.

After discussing the project with Wilkins, Daughtry was introduced to The Quantum Toad owners Rob and Emeric, who immediately embraced the idea.

“Rob and Emeric agreed right away as fans of the genre themselves and allowed us to use their location,” Daughtry said.

The series will feature standalone horror stories written by North Carolina writers, with each episode delivering suspense, unexpected twists and memorable characters in the tradition of classic anthology television.

The pilot, expected to run 15 to 20 minutes, centers around an unsettling story exploring one of humanity’s oldest fears.

Daughtry said the project is about more than creating horror films. He hopes it will become a platform for independent filmmakers and writers across North Carolina.

“Horror has been a passion of mine ever since I was young,” Daughtry said. “Going with dad in the summertime down to the video store and renting movies like Friday the 13th with the plastic VHS boxes that reeked of cigarette smoke from a local video store, sneaking home to watch them, and bringing them back before mom found out. There was always something special about that, something visceral and real… bonding.”

He said those childhood experiences inspired his desire to tell stories of his own.

“My passion now is to tell stories and involve those who have a like-minded feel for the genre while promoting local independent cinema and production in our beautiful state of North Carolina,” Daughtry said. “These are the things kids of my generation remember — kids from the ’80s and ’90s — the late-night movies, the obscurity of film, the mystery of how it’s all made. Now it’s my turn.”

Daughtry hopes PostMortem: The Web Series will provide opportunities for local actors, writers and production crews while showcasing North Carolina as a destination for independent filmmaking.

Additional casting and production announcements for On The Rocks and future episodes of PostMortem: The Web Series will be released as production progresses.