Michael Neel was working as a freelance filmmaker: editing, filming, directing, or anything else for which someone would hire him. One day, his agent connected him with a director who was looking for an editor for a horror film. Michael and the director met for pizza to discuss the film, and bonded over their shared love of horror, independent film, and guerilla filmmaking.

That film was Veil of Blood, and that director was Joe Lemieux, and a lifelong friendship and collaboration was born.

When Veil of Blood was brought to Michael, much of the film was shot but it was missing key scenes, dialogue, closeups, and almost all the gore. Michael and Joe worked for three years to fill in the missing pieces, creating the effects themselves and calling on friends and family for help.

Even Michael’s mother, Barbara Neel, agreed to act in a gore scene, despite disliking horror movies. They worked on a shoestring budget to disembowel people, cut out eyes, and even make miniatures in Joe’s basement, using everything from salsa and spaghetti sauce to packing foam and super-soakers full of strawberry syrup.

Through sheer will and creativity, the film was finished in 2006.

After completing Veil of Blood, Michael and Joe continued to collaborate on various film projects, honing their craft and expanding their network in the indie film community. During this period, they worked on several short films and contributed to other directors’ projects, gaining valuable experience and establishing their unique creative voice.

Their shared vision and complementary skills created a strong foundation for future endeavors. While working on other projects, they often discussed the possibility of forming their own production company.

In 2019, Michael and Joe took the leap and officially founded Dream Apex Pictures. After more than 15 years of working together on various projects, they established their own company to create films that aligned with their creative vision.

Dream Apex Pictures was born from their shared passion for storytelling and their desire to create films across multiple genres, unrestricted by conventional boundaries.

Since establishing Dream Apex Pictures, Michael and Joe have created an impressive portfolio of diverse films:

– Plethora – An arthouse ghost story that pushes the limits of narrative storytelling
– The Stoop – A heartwarming romantic comedy
– H.P. Lovecraft’s Celephaïs – A fantasy-horror blend based on Lovecraft’s story
– The Shadow Over Innsmouth – Another Lovecraftian horror adaptation

Dream Apex Pictures creates short and feature-length films across multiple genres: horror, fantasy, arthouse, drama, animation, comedy, and romance. We believe that a film can be any story that’s worth telling, so we don’t restrict ourselves to a particular kind.