I believe that beneath the surface of the conscious levels of the mind, there exist hidden desires, fears, and memories that truly shape who we are..
- Can Aksoy, director, Psyche
As we embrace the spirit of the season, what are some of the best ways to deal with frightening situations? Find out during Spookfest! Get ready to discover a diverse slate of movies you need to watch this weekend as some of the most captivating voices from around the world get together and share their own unique perspective on dealing with fears, whether they're crafting bone-chilling horror, heartwarming dramas or delving into the complex psyche of human emotion through documentary, animation and experimental films.
No matter what gives you goosebumps for fear of the dark, being isolated, monsters or watching certain movies – you're not alone. In this exclusive series, get an intimate look into the mind and creative process of each director as they shed light on how they transform their own fears, thrills and uncertainties into thought-provoking narratives exploring themes such as womanhood, religion and societal pressure, identity, unconditional love, grief, regret, loss, history, networking and collaboration, motherhood child abuse, addiction, mental health, incest, prostitution, burdens, suicide, haunted houses and more.
Ariane's Baby directed by Mahée Merica
First up we have Mahée Merica’s directorial debut, Ariane's Baby, a horror drama where a single pregnant woman named Ariane begins to question her ability and desire to become a good mother when she starts dreaming about monsters who try to harm her unborn child.
Merica created Ariane's Baby after spending months trying to write a drama script that she was never satisfied with for her graduation film. The London Film School alum decided to have fun with her graduation project and write something she enjoyed working on; thus Ariane's Baby was born.
“I always loved horror films, I believe they are the perfect medium to experiment narratively in terms of form and content,” says Merica who believes early horror films are precursors to experimental cinematography and surprising storytelling techniques.
“Horror films are also experimental in terms of content. Horror filmmakers often use their films as a platform to approach important societal subjects under the disguise of entertainment, and were the first to explore important societal subjects such as systemic racism or the politics surrounding women's bodies.
I decided I wanted to make a horror film in order to experiment with the form of the film while approaching a subject dear to my heart: gender expectations.
Womanhood is often associated to Motherhood, and mothers are always placed under an immense amount of pressure. We expect them to be caring but not controlling, to take care of the children while preserving their individual identity, to look "respectable" while still pretty, to appear as if they never bore another being inside their body. As a woman in my mid-20s, I have ambivalent feelings towards motherhood. Being responsible for another human and missing my childfree life scare me. Yet, I long for an unconditional love that I am unsure of finding anywhere else.
Through Ariane’s journey, I aim to explore these fears, deconstruct the mythical “maternal instinct” and investigate expressions of unconditional love,” adds Merica. Ariane's Baby is currently screening at film festivals such as Haunted House Fear Festival in New York and Fright Night Film Festival in Shelbyville while heading to Horror on Sea Film Festival in the UK.
Breaking & Entering directed by Michael William HoganIn Michael William Hogan’s award-winning drama Breaking & Entering, a young woman’s conflicted life battling multiple addictions and questionable choices culminates with an autopsy-like introspective journey when she finds herself locked in a morgue with the body of a long-lost love.
With three short films under his belt and years “dabbling” in screenwriting, Hogan committed to screenwriting fulltime in 2019.
“My strategy was four-fold:
1) clean-up existing scripts and finish new projects;
2) seek coverage, analysis and professional feedback to further improve and polish all scripts to a commercially ready level;
3) submit the numerous screenplays to relevant festivals and competition as a means to measure them against the massive crowd of other works;
4) network--preferably in-person--to expand my network of industry contacts and potential collaborators.
COVID came along in 2020 and threw a wrench into strategic initiative #3, but everything else progressed nicely,” he says.
With his work placing well in competitions, Hogen rewrote and further published his screenplays. Although he started winnings awards, phone calls from producers, studios, managers or agents did not follow.
“I needed another way to attract attention, so I decided to write and direct a short film that would get me noticed. I went for the shock value…a dark drama that included addiction, mental illness, incest, prostitution, necrophilia and suicide. Oh, and the burdens of each are carried by one person. The result was ‘Breaking & Entering,’ which went on to win over 30 ‘Best Short Film’ awards, more than 20 ‘Best Actress’ awards for Kiri Hartig, and nearly as many ‘Best Director’ awards,” adds Hogan.
Follow The Harrowing directed by Brendan O'Neill for the London Sci-Fi Society 48-Hour Filmmaking Competition.In Brendan O'Neill’s Sci-Fi short The Harrowing, mysterious spaceships appear over cities worldwide and a mother desperately tries to save her children from abduction.
In the world of independent filmmaking, there are people who talk about wanting to make films and there are people who are going out and just doing it. In September 2022, O'Neill didn't waste any time bringing The Harrowing from page to screen. “I wanted to make a short once Lockdown had ended and after a long 15 months looking after my Mom - who has Dementia - when my Dad died. The London Sci-Fi Society 48-hour filmmaking competition gave me the chance to do that,” he says.
In addition to winning several awards for writing, acting and special effects The Harrowing has screened at numbers film events including Stokholm City Film Festival and will be heading to Aberdeen, Scotland in 2024. If you're planning on a staycation, you can also Watch the film here.
Tin Foil Flat directed by Ruari Barratt
Ruari Barratt’s micro short comedy Tin Foil Flat is about a conspiracy theorist who subjects his home to a drastic transformation, using his ingenuity, his determination and his microwave to protect him from the government.
“The thought that the main character describes having genuinely occurred to me... if you were to do the whole tin foil hat thing, wouldn't it be more practical to treat the problem closer to the source, higher than your head (the nearest ceiling)? Initially I thought of making it a one-shot sketch, with minimal tin foil applied to a carefully selected section of the room, but once I started, I had to do it properly, covering everything in my flat. I stopped short of the toilet,” says Barratt. Made with a one-man crew and over 400 square metres of tin foil, the film is available to watch on the Whatever Films YouTube channel.
Vladimir Jaksic’s documentary Quest for Vinča is a journey of discovery to understand the roots of European culture and development during the neolithic period.
Quest for Vinča directed by Vladimir JaksicTracking a course from England to Serbia, viewers follow author and historian, Benjamin Elliott, as he brings together fragments of the past, visiting archaeological sites and interviewing some of Britain and Serbia’s most respected academics.
Discovering the possible nucleus of human development in Europe, Quest for Vinča uncovers the foundations of our modern world as we understand it today, offering an alternative narrative to the story of human progress. “I share a passion for history and filmmaking with Benjamin Elliot, a writer and promoter. We created the entire film without a budget and it was like a fairy tale come true,” says Jaksic. Quest for Vinča is available to stream.
In Rod Evans’ horror/thriller Modern Dating, a girl fights for survival after a blind date turns deadly.
Modern Dating directed by Rod Evans
“This was a real story told me by a friend, and upon hearing this story for the first time, I immediately knew I wanted to make this a short film. I knew it had the potential to be very scary, both as a true story and a warning to people about the dangers of going on a blind date,” says Evans.
Screening on November 5, 2023 at Hollywood Gold Awards and December 2, 2023 at Shockfest Film Festival, Modern Dating is also available to stream.
That Feeling directed by Paul Inman
Paul Inman’s Psychological Horror That Feeling is about a woman named Caroline who, on her belated honeymoon, deals with the transgressions of her past - and, ultimately, the consequences of her choices - as she struggles with deja vu at 16,000 ft. Inman was selected to make That Feeling as a "Dollar Baby" adaptation of a Stephen King short story. In addition to screening at several events including the Marina del Rey Film Festival and Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival, That Feeling has also won awards for best directing, acting and music.
Be Quiet short film directed by Gary DaviesIn Gary Davies’ horror short Be Quiet, a young girl is woken in the night by her brother, who believes something is in the house with them.
In addition to winning Best Horror Short at the Black Horse International Film Festival, Be Quiet has won several awards on the festival circuit for its acting, cinematography and movie poster.
“I love making scary films, and years ago I was at a friend's supposedly haunted house making a film, and had the idea 'What if we heard something coming down that creaky old staircase...but couldn't see it with the naked eye - only when we looked through our camera?'
The idea really spooked me, and has stuck with me ever since; that idea of not being able to see a threat without viewing some kind of medium. It's unnerving, and very effective in cinema. I'm getting spooked just writing about it!” says Davies. Be Quiet is available to stream online.
Barkoo's Amerie, a Sci-Fi fantasy feature film written by Richie ValentinoIn Richie Valentino’s Sci-Fi Fantasy feature Barkoo's Amerie, Barkoo must find the one being who can save their planet from an invasive and destructive force, while discovering his own genetic powers within.
Valentino is no stranger to independent filmmaking and much like directors O'Neill, Hogan, Barratt, Evans and Davies, he seems to move quickly when setting an idea in motion.
“I made a short stop-motion film a few years ago called Cardioidosaurus, quite dark and predominantly soundtrack with no dialog. And, once the film was completed, I started thinking to myself; ‘You know, some of the characters in the film would make a great base for a feature film set on a distant planet.’ So I began to write. Barkoo's Amerie is currently in Pre-Production.
NOVA (short film) directed by David McAbeeIn David McAbee’s experimental short, NOVA, Dr. Nova Thorpe has but a few minutes before the inevitable. But before then she must warn everyone that the experiment went horribly wrong. If the premise sounds like a malpractice situation, there’s more to the story. “I'm a kid of the 80s/90s and lived in video stores. One of my all-time inspirations is, An American Werewolf in London. That transformation scene is so brutal. So, I thought about doing a transformation scene, but in a oner. So, Nova was born...” he says.
After winning dozens of 'Best Horror', 'Best Director', 'Best Acting' awards during its festival run, NOVA is now available to watch online alongside McAbee’s other films about things that go bump in the night in NIGHT TERRORS, an unwanted dinner guest in TAKING OUT THE TRASH and physical manifestations of postpartum depression in BLUE.
Fading Petals directed by Bradley Charlton
All buried memories eventually resurface in Bradley Charlton’s drama feature, Fading Petals as two solitary figures find their paths cross when a young woman arrives to aid a sickly old woman. After a hostile first encounter and despite misgivings from both, the two slowly open up to one another and begin to form an unexpected bond, but their affinity is short lived. Events culminate as buried memories resurface and unforgiving words are spoken. The old woman then struggles to accept the absence of the young woman and is haunted by her memory. The pair meet one final time as truths emerge in a shocking revelation proving that they are much more alike than they ever thought.
Shot in 11 days for under £10,000 with a crew of only five people, Fading Petals premiered at Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford, UK and went on to receive praise for its acting performances and well written script. It holds a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to watch on Amazon, Apple TV, Tubi and other streaming platforms.
McAbee made numerous short films in school and was “itching to make a feature length film” when he graduated. “I had written a screenplay 'The Trespassers' and was securing funding when the covid-19 pandemic hit. This put an end to any hopes of getting this 180-page ensemble film made. Therefore, during the first lockdown, I decided to write another screenplay. It had to be something that featured just one or two characters, limited locations and could be shot on a budget. The result was 'Fading Petals'. The story originated from something Lewis Carroll wrote ‘It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.’ I wanted to explore whether our actions define us. The film explores themes of regret, loss, the pressures religion puts on women but above all, it is a study of identity,” he says.
Housewife Alien vs Gay Zombie directed by Andreas SamuelsonIn Andreas Samuelson’s horror/comedy Housewife Alien vs Gay Zombie, a murdered housewife is resurrected by an alien creature while an unhappily married gay man is possessed by a demon and turned into a zombie. They both go on a rampage and two cops on the case must save the day. “Low budget, bad taste pioneers like John Waters and Sam Raimi but also so-bad-they're-good kind of B-movies” are the kind of things that gets Samuelson’s creative juices flowing – at least for this particular film which screened at events such as Oregon Scream Week Horror and is currently available to stream on Amazon.
For the Horror/Drama Mors lilla Olle (Little Boy Blue), however, Samuelson’s muse stemmed from an unexpected source -- the stigmatization of gay parents and rainbow families, as well as child abuse. In Mors lilla Olle (Little Boy Blue), two dads put their young son to bed unaware that a mysterious stranger is threatening their loving family home. The son’s fear of fairy tale witches seems to become reality in this 11-minute tale that screened at Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival and Hrizantema International Fantasy & Horror Film Festival and is now available to watch on YouTube.
Ashley Seering’s animated horror/comedy Last Bite is a must-see film: In the midst of a global pandemic, a very paranoid vampire orders contactless food delivery. One of the things I love about Seering’s movie is it’s a prime example of how stepping out of your comfort zone can yield great results, even when it seems like the world has gone insane due to heightened levels of fear and uncertainty.
Last Bite directed by Ashley Seering
“This film was made for an assignment in my visual design class at Loyola Marymount University. It was a few months into the pandemic and we were under quarantine and couldn't film with anyone outside of the household. I lived alone, so I decided to create an animation because it didn't require other people and it was a genre I'd never explored before. It seems like a good opportunity to do something different and stretch my creativity,” says Seering, whose Last Bite screened at a number of events including the Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival, PopCon International Film Fest, Austin Under the Stars Film Festival and Vampire Film & Arts Festival. Last Bite is available to stream.
A young woman experiences increasingly surreal dreams that blur reality in Can Aksoy’s experimental short, Psyche. Her dreams act as symbolic journeys of inner reflection, culminating in a climactic confrontation that challenges her to face buried emotions. By grappling with the dreamscapes, she begins a process of self-discovery. Deeply inspired by the psychoanalytical theories and concepts of Sigmund Freud, Aksoy made this movie to visualize and represent the unconscious mind in his own unique way.
Psyche directed by Can Aksoy
“Freud's theories of the unconscious mind and repression have always fascinated me, as I often find myself experiencing the sensation of being more than just one character. I believe that beneath the surface of the conscious levels of the mind, there exist hidden desires, fears, and memories that truly shape who we are... I have been profoundly influenced by my dreams, identity, fears, desires, and earliest childhood memories, which serve as a constant source of inspiration. Exploring the depths of the human psyche and the human mind and delving into the complexities of the mind has been a driving force behind the creation of my film ‘Psyche,’ says Aksoy.
Having recently screened at Oxford International Short Film Festival and Open Shorts Night at Raindance Film Festival, Psyche is currently nominated for an award to be announced in November.
Stay tuned to learn from these directors as they flex their super powers, discuss terrifying tales, strange experiences and more as this series continues!