Actress Brande Roderick (Dracula II: Ascension, Hood of Horror) is making her directorial debut with the upcoming horror film Wineville. The film is set in 1978 and follows a mother who will do anything to protect her son from a seriously messed-up family whose roots in evil go as deep as the roots of their ancient vines.

Roderick spoke to Bloody Disgusting about the film, saying, “I’ve loved horror films my whole life. I have clear memories of sitting on the sofa sharing popcorn with my mother, who was letting me watch The Exorcist for the first time – at the age of six. You could argue six is too young for that movie, but ever since that night, I’ve loved everything that goes bump in the dark.”

Roderick went on to say that she was inspired to make Wineville after visiting a historic and beautiful winery that also had a somewhat ominous feel to it. She teamed up with filmmaker Richard Schenkman (Mischief Night, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth) to create a film that is both realistic and terrifying.

“We wanted a realistic, real-world look and tone to help us bring complicated, recognizable characters to life,” said Roderick. “We were equally influenced by such classic pictures as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Last House on the Left as we were by more recent films like We Are What We Are and You Won’t Be Alone.”

Wineville is currently in post-production and is expected to be released later this year.