'You Litter, You Die!': Prospect Park Trash Inspires Horror Film

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Filmmaker Christopher Wells has a cheeky message for vandals who dare to scatter their trash in Brooklyn's backyard — "You litter, you die!"

Or at least, that's what the "madman" villain in his new horror film would tell the litterbugs.

"I have a very low opinion of those who litter so I made my characters complete idiots," Wells said. "I don’t mind shaming litterbugs."

The new short film — an intentionally absurd horror comedy called "Don’t Litter in Prospect Park!!" — follows a trio of "greasers" who try and take over the park to "make it more mean," according to a synopsis. They are instead hunted by the anti-littering madman in the woods.

The film was inspired by Wells' real-life encounter with Prospect Park vandals last year, when park staff and neighbors found trash strewn across the grass, walkways and even in the water at the dog pond.

Wells, who says he regularly picks up trash at the park, was among the neighbors who helped clean up the "significant act of vandalism" that day.

"It made me so mad and I felt disrespected. How can anyone do this?" Wells said. "And I thought about what I’d do to the people who did."

When he got home, Wells decided to help prevent future litterbugs by using his skills as a filmmaker to write a "funny PSA." The script soon morphed into the 13-minute horror comedy.

"The film is sort of therapy for me because I get to channel my anger towards litterbugs in a creative way and make statement that even the worst offender can be inspired by," said Wells, who noted his "weird sense of humor" creeped its way into the script.

"As someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously, I decided to make it funny and ridiculous," he added. "I mean, I have a weird unicorn in my film."

Wells shot the 13-minute film over two days in Brooklyn's backyard and is working on submitting it to film festivals, he said.

Its actors — donning comically large greaser wigs — were sourced from another Brooklyn institution: Freddy's Bar in Park Slope. Wells met both actors at the bar, where he showed a first screening of the movie to a full house.

Check out a trailer of the film here: