When you really get into a project that seems like it’s going to be a good deal, nothing can stop you from obsessing over everything. From the artwork, to your investment in the crew that created them. NFTs are fun to have and collect, and for some are even a bragging point. But what happens when the project goes south, and what you thought was a regular NFT, was coded by a witch?
Filmmaker Ben Klein had an idea. Start with a found footage type of horror film showing how the project- in this case NFTs- turned into a nightmare. With Wacko Worms gaining traction on Discord and Reddit, those invested in the project thought the big reveal was going to be the mint date. But because of the happenings behind the scenes, that date was postponed, indefinitely.
A group of NYC post-grads embark on a journey to create an NFT project called the Wacko Worms. Things go horribly wrong for them when they accidentally hire a witch to write their contracts. She curses the code, forcing anybody who buys one of their NFTs to become possessed.
I was able to ask about the project and two questions stuck out in my mind. The first was how did the crew think that their fans would react? The second was what inspired this idea. Obviously a lot of thought went into the creation of this project. We’ll start with the second answer first and move on to how people were expected to react vs. how they’ve reacted so far.
I studied the major projects’ Discord pages from 2021, and saw a lot of “Gm” “Wagmi” and “LFG.” Empty interactions. I thought to myself, “What if I utilized this passion around an NFT project and actually gave an NFT community something real to talk about?” Being a filmmaker at heart, I spent every waking moment contemplating ways to create a blockchain-related film. Found footage horror has always been my favorite sub-genre (the V/H/S series is masterful — shoutout to the legend David Bruckner), and I have actually made a few for fun in my life so far, so when I put it together mentally that I can use the blockchain’s emphasis on transparency and public transactions to make the film seem real, I became obsessed. Once I had the idea, there was absolutely no way I wouldn’t go after it.
In the buildup to the film’s release (which people thought would be the mint date), I’m sure people will feel frustrated and maybe even a little angry due to the fear that the Wacko Worms project they love went silent on mint day. They are probably thinking things like “Is this a rug?” or “Is the team unreliable and made a mistake with the smart contracts?”. The answer, of course, is no — we want to feed on that emotion so that the film makes a stronger, more realistic impact. When community members watch the film, they will let out a deep breath and understand what we are doing here. This is much bigger than an NFT project. It is a vessel for artistic empowerment, and a revolutionary means of asserting the realism of a found footage film’s authenticity.
Ben Klein
How have people reacted so far? Honestly, they’re pretty stoked. It’s a really neat twist on something that they expected to be an everyday thing. There is an AMA on Twitter that you can follow. They’re encouraging people to ask questions so that they can qualify for a free NFT(also probably coded by a witch). And if you’re interested in checking in on the chatter, join the Wacko Worms Discord.
Learn more about Wacko Worms NFTs here.
