Horror Film ‘Self-Help’ Filmed Around Huntington

Halloween may be over, but mountain state spookiness continues on with a new film called Self-Help. Shot in locations near Huntington, the horror movie follows a college student who infiltrates a dangerous self-actualization community after her mother becomes entangled with its leader. The film was produced by brothers Erik and Carson Bloomquist.

Bill Lynch spoke with Carson about the film and their experience in West Virginia.

Lynch: We’re talking about, of course, Self-Help. That’s the name of the movie. What made you want to shoot this in West Virginia?

Bloomquist: You know, Eric was actually very inspired. He had taken a trip, and he gave me the call and said he thought we should do it. There was something about the geography and the offerings of the community over in West Virginia and the Huntington area that spoke to him, and it kind of informed the script.

Lynch: You chose some interesting locations – Billy Bob’s Wonderland, the Kenova Pumpkin House.

Bloomquist: Iconic locations really and very fun to film at. 

Lynch: Was it just by chance when you happen to be in the area, or did you choose them because of the October time frame? 

Bloomquist: Yeah, we knew we wanted it to be autumn set, and The Pumpkin House couldn’t be more of the epitome of the season than it is. There’s a way that The Pumpkin House and Billy Bob’s bookend the film in an interesting way and pull you into this world that feels sort of timeless, but also right now. And there were an impressive amount of pumpkins when we filmed.

Lynch: Maybe give me a little bit of a background about you and your brother and just film in general.

Bloomquist: Eric and I, we’ve been making movies since we were kids. We were prototypical kids with camcorders in hand. We love doing it, and we’ve been doing it more professionally now for a decade or so. 

So, this is our latest film. We were inspired by various news stories we were seeing that showed certain people that were coerced to join something in the name of maybe finding their place in the world, or what have you. They’d be conned, or they’d be falling into a really dangerous situation. And we saw that was a really interesting impetus for exploring human relationships. 

Lynch: What about the people? I mean, how many actors or how many folks did you have from the state that were in your film? 

Bloomquist: Oh, we had ton of background, and we worked with Marshall as well. The greater community really came out. 

And Billy Bob’s is at the front of the film. It’s a really cool introduction to the community and sort of like the tapestry of people that exist in the greater Huntington area. 

We have this core cast that carries us through the film, but at different pockets of the film, we get to see those faces or those places, and they’re very much part of this tapestry, this quilt that we kind of built. So, it’s exciting for us, and we’re excited for people to be able to see it and see things they recognize, and people they recognize.

Lynch: Being from out of town, how was the experience of bringing a production here?

Bloomquist: It was good. It was really good. People were so hospitable. We met new people every day, and we had a real level of support, is really the word and willingness. 

We just found everyone to be very helpful and willing. And I think that’s a really beautiful quality. So props to West Virginia, greater Huntington area. 

Lynch: What’s the takeaway for people coming to see the film?

Bloomquist: The film is very much about sense of identity –who you are and your place in the world. And, I think, asking yourself questions about that. Not just who you are relative to other people, but who you are to yourself, and trying to find a very healthy way to become who you’ve maybe viewed yourself to be, or maybe not viewed yourself to be, but not under the guise of outside influence. Doing it because it’s true to you, and trying to discover what that is.

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Self-Help was released in theaters on Halloween and will be available for streaming in early 2026.