In 2013, Amalgamated Dynamics successfully ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund their independent horror film titled Harbinger Down, which was directed by Alec Gillis and produced by Tom Woodruff Jr. The film was released in August 2015 and features exclusively practical creature effects. The impetus for the project began when Amalgamated Dynamics, hired to provide the practical effects for The Thing, a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 classic film--renowned for its almost exclusive use of practical effects--became disillusioned upon discovering the theatrical release had the bulk of their effects digitally replaced with computer-generated imagery. This move, a decision made by the studio, combined with the film's confusing title (which caused general theater goers to mistake the film for a remake) are often cited as the main reasons for the films poor reception and performance at the box office.
