Students, faculty and alumni helped make American Vampires, which premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Avalon Theatre
When American Vampires premiered at the Avalon Theatre, the audience had been given a few instructions. Cheer when you recognize a Grand Junction location, clap when someone you know appears on screen and if something makes you laugh, scream or jump out of your seat, don’t hold back.
The sold-out crowd had plenty of opportunities to react.
American Vampires follows a bounty hunter pursuing a fugitive in a Colorado town, where the job turns into a fight for survival after an ancient vampire is awakened. Shot entirely in and around Grand Junction, the film features familiar views of Mount Garfield, the Colorado National Monument and the Grand Mesa, along with downtown locations including the Avalon Theatre, Quincy Bar and The Feisty Pint.
For the CMU Tech students who worked on the film, the premiere was a chance to sit in a packed theater and see their work on the big screen.
“They were watching something they helped create on one of the biggest screens in our community, surrounded by a sold-out audience reacting to their work,” said Technical Instructor of Digital Filmmaking Josh Meuwly. “Their names were in those credits because they earned them.”
The film was written and directed by local filmmaker and Lecturer of film Hank Braxtan and was produced by both Braxtan and Meuwly. Current students, alumni and faculty filled many of the production’s key crew positions.
CMU Tech film student Levi Kramer served as director of photography and colorist, while student Eric Sigler worked as first assistant camera. Student Zach Hunt handled production sound and boom, alumnus Michael Miklich served as assistant director and alumna Wylee Mitchell worked as an additional camera operator. Lecturer of Film Drew Adams served as gaffer and alumnus Ryan Simpson worked as key grip.
Students also participated as production assistants, background performers and actors. Associate Professor of Theatre Mo LaMee played the character Shane, while CMU Tech film student Justin Johnson played a deputy.
The experience placed students in positions with real responsibility on a professional film production.
“Everyone had a job, and everyone mattered,” Meuwly said. “We couldn’t afford to lose any member of that team because every person was contributing something essential to the production.”
Production began in late August 2025 and took place over 21 shooting days. Meuwly taught during the day before heading to set, where his role shifted.
“Something changes when I arrive on a professional set with our students,” he said. “I’m no longer their instructor. They are professionals working within their departments, and I have to trust them to do their jobs.”
That experience builds on what students learn throughout CMU Tech’s Digital Filmmaking program, where they work in different areas of production before choosing where they may want to specialize.
The film also included community members. One scene brought about 75 local background actors to downtown Grand Junction. Some played vampires, while others played their victims.
“We had dozens of local actors running and screaming through the intersection while vampires attacked their victims,” Meuwly said.
Gallons of fake blood helped complete the scene, but it also created a challenge afterward.
"We had to make sure every drop of fake blood was cleaned off the sidewalks and benches so we didn't leave behind any evidence or scare anyone walking downtown later that afternoon," said Meuwly.
Other scenes were filmed at farms and rural areas near Grand Junction and Fruita, a home on Chipeta Avenue and the metal shop in the CMU Fine Arts building.
Meuwly is a regional liaison to the Colorado Film Commission and said projects like American Vampires can show visiting filmmakers what Western Colorado has to offer while giving local students and crew members valuable opportunities to build professional experience.
“This production also showed what’s possible here in Western Colorado,” Meuwly said. “We have incredible locations, talented filmmakers, students eager to work and an audience willing to support locally produced films.”
CMU Tech’s Digital Filmmaking program and CMU’s Animation, Film and Motion Design program are also helping develop talent locally as Grand Junction’s filmmaking community continues to grow.
For the students who worked on American Vampires, the production allowed them to build professional credits before graduation.
“Our students didn’t have to wait until graduation to begin working professionally,” Meuwly said. “They were able to take what they had learned at CMU Tech and immediately apply it to a feature film being produced in their own community.”
And during the premiere, they got to see the result alongside hundreds of people at the Avalon Theatre.
“I know I will remember that night for the rest of my life, and I hope our students will too,” Meuwly said. “More importantly, I hope experiencing that night encourages them to someday create that feeling for another audience with films of their own.”
Upcoming screenings of American Vampires are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 pm at the Delta Egyptian Theatre and Sunday, Oct. 18, at 7 pm at the Asteria Theatre. Tickets are available at americanvampiresfilm.com/screenings.
