This is what real horror stories look like — sadly that can mean going unnoticed for years.
Earlier this year an actress who had a small role in the 2017 arthouse horror favorite A Ghost Story took to Facebook to post accusations the producer of the film had molested and raped her during the production. She was just 16 years old at the time.
Thankfully bringing just that much attention to the accusation worked; Adam Donaghey was arrested on April 27 on one count of sexual assault of a child. He apparently walked away after posting a $25,000 bond.
Does that seem REALLY low to anyone else??
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Why are we just now learning about this? Well, Donaghey is no Harvey Weinstein — he doesn’t have countless acclaimed films in his catalog, ties to every major star in Hollywood, and an army of execs and assistants protecting him. He works out of Dallas, Texas, where the movie was filmed. We’ve never even heard of him tbh. But as anyone who’s ever been sexually harassed by their boss at a diner knows, for some men any modicum of power can be a tool to prey on the vulnerable.
This is an unfortunate association for the film’s star, Casey Affleck, who has had his own on-set misconduct allegations when producing the 2010 film I’m Still Here. He was accused of harassment, unwanted sexual advances, and encouraging workplace harassment by two crew members; both lawsuits were settled out of court. However, there has been no suggestion by anyone involved that Affleck or anyone else on the film had any knowledge of the alleged crimes.
The film’s director, David Lowery, responded to the accusations against his producer in an unequivocal statement of support for the victim:
“I am sickened, angered and saddened by this news. It feels like a betrayal on multiple fronts: of values my partners and I hold dear, of a filmmaking community who embraced him, and most of all of a young woman who trusted him. I’m grateful to her for bringing this matter to light; she has our support, and I hope she’ll find justice.”
Donaghey was actively working in the horror/thriller genre. In addition to exec producer credits on the 2019 films Satanic Panic and VFW, he was also listed as a producer on upcoming Cinestate films Run Hide Fight, Till Death, The Seventh Day, and Castle Freak.
Cinestate head Dallas Sonnier responded to the news of the arrest by cutting ties with Donaghey, saying in a statement to The Dallas Morning News:
“He is not associated with the company any longer. May God have mercy on his soul.”
He later added in a lengthy post about the situation:
“I believe this woman is telling the truth, and within minutes of seeing the accusation towards Adam posted on Facebook, I was on the phone with him accepting his resignation from all of our projects that he worked on. He is aware that we have removed his credits from the movies that are still in post.”
Scream queen Barbara Crampton, who also worked as a producer on the Castle Freak remake, took to Twitter on Thursday to denounce Donaghey, writing:
“I am angry, horrified and saddened to hear about the assault on a young girl by Adam Donaghey. I did not know of his reputation or this alleged incident, and it sickens me. Predators hide in plain sight. We must do better as a film community to keep people safe.”
Based on chatter we’re seeing online, this may not have been an isolated incident — as folks who worked for Donaghey are claiming more troubling behavior they witnessed going years back. We’ll just have to see if any more accusations come out.
[Image via A24/YouTube.]
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