Cabaret Artists Jen Houston and Leanne Borghesi Will Appear In Upcoming Feature Film e.Vil Sublet

Cabaret artists Jen Houston and Leanne Borghesi will soon be appearing together - not on the stage, where everyone longs to see them performing a buddy act, but in a new feature film titled eVil Sublet. The independent film written, directed, and edited by Allan Piper was created for his wife, Houston, who stars as the tenant of an apartment in the East Village of New York City - an apartment that isn't just in the e. Vil but that also happens to be evil. Houston, a musical theater actress, singer-songwriter with an impressive NYC small venue resume, and viral video artist known for her biting political song parodies takes a personal interest in both the horror and comedy genres of filmmaking, so Piper, between work dates as lead video editor and on-camera pundit for NOW THIS, penned the screenplay just for her. When it came time to cast roles in the film, Houston immediately suggested bi-coastal cabaret star Leanne Borghesi, of whose work Houston has, long, been a fan. The two cabaret comrades shot scenes for the film in and around New York City but their favorite shoot to date was with the iconic Emmy Award-winning actress Sally Struthers, who filmed her portion of the movie while on break from her work in regional theater.

Today, Piper's production company, Speakeasy Productions, released a teaser trailer and a crowdfunder designed to bring the project home (a crowdfunder with a hilarious and personalized perk). Houston and Struthers can be seen in the trailer, though Borghesi will be featured in the full trailer when it drops later this month. Speakeasy provided the press release seen below with all of their links.

Filmmakers promise to "ghost" supporters of their horror/comedy

NEW YORK, NY: The filmmakers behind the horror/comedy eVil Sublet have an unusual perk for backers of their crowdfunding campaign. While big-budget movies often get money from corporate product placement, these filmmakers are offering "person placement." $20-contributors will have their faces added as ghosts in the shadows of the eponymous haunted apartment.

eVil Sublet is a dark satire of America's affordable housing crisis. It's the story of an NYC couple who knowingly move into a haunted apartment in the east village (AKA, the eVil) because the rent is cheap. It stars viral video performer Jen Houston (Crime After Crime), cabaret star Leanne Borghesi (Borghesi's Back), and features screen legend Sally Struthers (All In The Family, Gilmore Girls) in her feature horror debut.

The movie celebrates groups historically underrepresented on screen. Half the producers are women. Co-writer/producer and Emmy-nominee Chris Pearson (Dan Vs.) is legally blind. Four of the five leading roles are LGBTQ+ characters played by LGBTQ+ actors. The picture joins the emerging movement led by horror/sci-fi movies and shows like Jakob's Wife, Yellowjackets, and Everything Everywhere All At Once, to represent women in their 40s on up as heroic, sexy powerhouses. The women of eVil Sublet have 2x as many lines as the men.

After being delayed by the pandemic, the filmmakers finished principal photography near the end of 2021. Their crowdsource campaign for postproduction funds will run through May 4. The film is produced by Houston, Beth Ann Mastromarino, Pearson, and Piper.

To see the teaser trailer for e Vil Sublet (and become a ghost) visit their Seed and Spark page HERE.

e Vil Sublet can be found online on Twitter HERE, Instagram HERE, and Facebook HERE.

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