In September, the prospects of completing The Beast of Trinity Texas, a movie set in Trinity Texas and conceived by Montgomery County's Terry Weaver, were dire. Terry felt driven to see his script become a feature film, so in 2023, he embarked on a journey to produce and star in the production.
The movie's website describes it this way:
A small town in East Texas unravels as a series of murders point local authorities to evidence of a mythical beast.
Haunted by his past, a war-veteran turned sheriff and his team must navigate a web of deception spun by money, power, and greed in hopes of unearthing the truth and saving the people of Trinity.
The Beast of Trinity Texas is not Terry's first foyer in the film industry, but it is by far the biggest. He is the author of multiple books and was the lead in a local series picked up by Netflix called Breaking Strongholds, but getting this independent production shot is not only the fulfillment of a dream but also a journey of faith. With principal photography in the can, Terry is now extremely thankful, but excerpts from his movie journal tell where he was just a few months ago…
Terry Weaver:
I was stressed out to the max.
We had over 90 people involved at various levels: actors, location sponsors, government officials, and little old ladies in Trinity who were planning on being extras.
Hell, we'd already put a nine-thousand dollar Beast Costume on a credit card, but we didn't have the funds to begin filming, and we were six weeks out from principal photography.
My lifelong friend from California had already driven to Texas to work on the film. My mom had already booked a flight to help with the kids. We'd booked travel for actors flying in from the East Coast. I was hot mess, praying God would help us make this crazy Beast Film a reality.
A good friend said, "Terry, I can see the stress in your face."
I began to question, does God care about Bigfoot? Or murder mystery films? Am I crazy? Who am I to think we could pull something like this off? People had already committed tens of thousands of dollars, but we needed so much to just begin. What would everyone involved think if I called and said, "We can't make the movie."
These were the fever dreams I'd wake up to, and then carry throughout the day. It's no wonder my buddy told me I looked stressed.
Here's The Thing
Since the day we decided to make the film, this was back in August of 2023, we just started working and walking in faith, believing that we'd somehow figure out how to make the dream a reality.
This seemed like a great plan until the pressure got unbearable…
The most stressful day came when my partner told me he couldn't carry on any longer and that he was leaving the project. I was hit with a weird feeling, my heart sank, and it was like someone climbed up onto my shoulders and died there. The weight was immense.
Did I mention we had already started building film sets an hour and a half away and that we'd spent tens of thousands of dollars to get to this point?
Two Things Kept Me Going
1) People were counting on us, they'd committed to the film, spent money and time, and resources on this wild dream.
2) Hope from a good friend of mine who'd told me, "I think Jesus wants me to help with this film."
I know … this all sounds crazy, some strange concoction of fiction, faith, reality, and maybe some nutzo extreme, but the dream was there, and in my heart and mind the dream was too big to let go of, AND God is faithful.
A dream, God, and a lot of really good people. That's a lot to work with.
I often think about this quote from Anais Nin:
"Life expands and contracts in proportion to one's courage."
I believe it's true, and I believe faith and courage are a powerful combination; I also believe it's impossible to please God without faith.
This is only a small portion of the story behind The Beast of Trinity Texas.
I share all of this to say, if you have a dream, and if you have a little faith and good people in your corner, you can go very far. Keep dreaming my friends, and thanks to all of you who are a part of this incredible adventure.
Mere weeks before principal photography was set to begin, additional funding was secured to ensure the show's continuation. The Beast of Trinity Texas is now in post-production, and you can keep up with its progress at thebeastoftrinitytexas.com
"A dream, God, and a lot of really good people. That’s a lot to work with," Terry Weaver.