After narrowly escaping from an ancient burial ground buried under the marshes of Cape Cod, a group of friends emerge from the thick darkness, tattered and bloody. They soon stumble upon an empty Cape Cod vacation house and break in to take shelter. But whatever was in the marsh is still after them and the group soon learns that the evil that’s hunting them isn’t the only thing that wants them dead.

Shot in state-of-the-art 4K Ultra HD resolution, “Muck” is the debut film by writer/director Steve Wolsh. The film stars horror icon, Kane Hodder [“Friday The 13th series], as well as 2012 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Jaclyn Swedberg.

What makes “Muck” so interesting is the fact that it’s actually the second film in a horror-fueled trilogy. Although releasing the second film of a three-part series first may cause some confusion, there is more than enough suspense, gore and beautiful women in this first “chapter” to lay a foundation for what will surely become one of horror’s most engaging film trilogies.

I recently spoke with writer/director Steve Wolsh about his vision for “Muck” in this exclusive interview.

What made you decide to take on the role of filmmaker for this project?

I’ve always wanted to make films but always held a real job as well as having other responsibilities. I was about to turn thirty and finally realized that this was the time. So I quit my job, sold everything and made a movie. Even though I had a limited budget I really wanted to do something that was different and unique. It’s three stories and 347 pages of script with “Muck” being the middle 86 pages. It was the part of the story I wanted to tell first. Then we’ll do the prequel and then the sequel.

What inspired the story?

I wanted to tell a story in Cape Cod because that’s where the house I own is (which is also the one used in the film). I wanted a certain look and feel and that was motivated by the idea of telling a story in an unnatural way. I just started writing and at some point had all the ingredients for a trilogy. Even though this film is the middle part, everything will eventually make sense. There are so many options for characters and things we can do. It’s more than you get from your typical horror film, and all of that flowed into “Muck”.

How would describe this story of “Muck”?

It’s almost like a bad dream, because there’s no beginning and no end. And even though you may not understand it at first, you’ll want to watch it again. It pays homage to old school horror by taking some of the things that you’ve seen before but exaggerating them. For example: in some typical horror films there always seems to be a hot girl walking around in her underwear. That’s when I thought, “Ok. What if we had a chick walking in her underwear from the opening scene?” [laughs]. Those are some of the things that we did.

How did Kane Hodder get involved in the project?

He was the very first person I wanted. I really wanted to start a franchise and there was no better way to do that than by getting Kane Hodder. What makes “Muck” work was not only the vision of the movie, but also the continuity. Kane read the script, loved it and wanted to be a part of it. He came out for three days, filmed for one and went through six hours of makeup. He was a blast to work it.

You wore so many hats on this project [writer, director, producer]. Did you encounter many challenges during the filming process?

There were many, but this was something that I’ve always wanted to do. Some days you get kicked in and some days everything goes right. You take the good with the bad and learn how to navigate. There was no rulebook. You just have to do it.

One of the things that makes “Muck” so interesting is your desire to not to use any CGI for effects. Why did you decide to go that route?

As a horror fan, I think people enjoy it more without CGI. It reminds them more of the old school horror. The idea of having fake blood come up through a pitchfork and then spraying out looks much better than filming a scene and then adding imaginary blood afterwards. The challenge of figuring out how to do it also makes it more fun. Like, how do we drag someone off the balcony by a rope and then fall 35 feet? Or how to we drag a naked girl up the stairs with a real axe? [laughs].

What can you tell me about the prequel, “Muck: Feast of Saint Patrick”?

In a lot of ways, it’s nothing like “Muck” because there are certainly other things to be worried about in the marsh. In “Muck”, you also don’t see the characters of Desiree, Noah, Billy and Kylee as normal. You only see them as freaked out and hurt. In the next film, you’ll get to meet them and know them better. What’s interesting is that you’ve never seen a horror movie where you see people die, but know that they’re still “safe”. Some people may love it or hate it because they might not understand it, but I’m slow plating you. There are things best left to the imagination. You’ll appreciate it more when you find out the answers. It’s three films worth of movie but I’m not giving it to you all at once. When you watch the prequel and then watch “Muck” again, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on. And when it’s all over, it’s going to be something bigger than you get with typical horror.

Now that “Muck” is completed, what are you most looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to getting to work on the next movie. I’m ready to get back at it and take all of the things I’ve learned from this one into the next. That’s going to be exciting. I’m really proud of the fact that this movie exists. It feels really gratifying to know that my movie is in stores in places I’ve never been to. The fact that “Muck” exists and is part of the universe forever is the thing I’m most proud of.

“Muck” is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Anchor Bay Entertainment.