BUFORD — Buford has become the backdrop to a new horror series that will air on a popular Youtube channel called Whateva Parodies. The series, “White Girl Apokalypse,” features a cast of talented young actors that got their start treading the stage in productions at Buford High School.
The series pokes fun at pop culture with its cast and crew like the lead actress, a stereotypical white girl named Kourtney, while still appealing to the horror film lovers out there. To paint a mental picture of the series’ plotline, think parody; a parody of the “Walking Dead” TV series. Kourtney being the stereotypical white girl loves her Prada, popularity and Starbucks and doesn’t want to give them up, not even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse as she and her friends must figure out how to survive. With several excellent plot twists, viewers are sure to stay glued to the screen.
“White Girl Apokalypse” is the result of many talented young creative minds like that of creator Rebecca Wilson and writer Ashley Wilson. Rebecca Wilson, who also plays the character of Griffin, played softball all four years at Buford High School. She graduated in 2017. Ashley Wilson, who was the BHS Class of 2018’s salutatorian, also serves as the director of the series. Carrianne Crawford, who is serving as the series’ makeup artist and production assistant, is also a graduate of Buford High School. Crawford graduated in 2019 and was a part of the 2019 winning literary team.
Playing the lead role of Kourtney is Hailey Thornton, a 2018 Buford graduate. Thornton was highly active in musical theatre and the drama department during her high school career. She was nominated for a prestigious Shuler Hensley Award in 2018. The nomination was for Best Supporting Actress and was for her portrayal of Alice in Buford High School’s production of “The Addams Family.” Additional cast and crew that have Buford ties are BHS senior Ross Wilson — boom operator and zombie, junior Mason Fuller — zombie, and BHS grad Julia Smith — zombie.
The series was mostly filmed at locations around Buford.
“Our neighborhood was very welcoming to the idea of us filming,” Rebecca Wilson said. “We knew we wanted to stay local based on who we knew and the locations we needed. Buford has a very welcoming community. Some of our neighbors who we do not know that well allowed us to film at their house when they were out of town!”
The residents of the neighborhood in which they were filming showed their support of the project in ways like when a neighbor stopped mowing his front yard when the sound of his mower kept being picked up in the production’s microphone. Cars would stop when the drivers noticed the filming and would not move again until they heard “Cut!” being yelled out by the crew as to not ruin the scene by driving through it.
When a previous filming location fell through, FitFrenzy Studio in Buford allowed the production to be filmed at their studio with less than a week’s notice. Those from the Zumba studio were very supportive and excited about the project.
“White Girl Apokalypse” is a homegrown project through and through. To show your support and to watch “White Girl Apokalypse,” tune into the Youtube channel Whateva Parodies starting at 11 a.m. Sept. 26, with new episodes airing every Saturday.
What: White Girl Apokalypse
When: Starting on Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. with new episodes airing every Saturday
How to watch: Tune into YouTube channel – Whateva Parodies
