Until Monday the 7th of November 2022, Indy Film Library is streaming some of the best short horror films we have received over the last year. The Halloween Horror Showcase can be viewed for free, via our online screening platform, where you can also cast your vote for the Audience Choice Award. As part of the event, we asked the directors of the films to outline the elaborate methods behind their work, and what it ultimately means to them.
Marie Lormeau, Director of De Wissel
When we moved in together, my partner Coen bought me this amazing pirate chest. At first, I didn’t know what to store in it so it stayed empty for a little while. We started playing around, hiding items in it and innocently pranking each other this way. I wondered: what if the chest was a portal of some sort, to communicate with someone / something / somewhere else? And what if this “else” was not entirely benevolent? From this, came De Wissel; an antique piece of furniture, transforming any items it holds, giving beautiful treasures to better lure and consume its owners.
I am a big fan of Jumanji (1995). The concept of a sentient game, bending reality to mess with the lives of the players, is mysterious, creepy and overall brilliant. The ending especially, implying that the game would claim another victim who’d be curious enough to roll the dice, terrified and excited me no end. It was a big inspiration for this story.
The film itself was incredibly fun to make. We shot it in a day, with a minimal crew and no budget. Everything in the film belonged to the cast and crew (my apartment, furniture, props and gear and Alexia’s own clothes). Regardless of the result, we all have fond memories of that day, and I strongly believe it’s also the point of making films.
David Janove, Director of I Love Your Guts [As reported by Short of the Week]
Getting fast food late at night, I typically see young people, mostly college kids, manning the drive-throughs. It’s crazy that the responsibility of a restaurant is put on the shoulders of kids in the middle of the night. I used to manage a little 55 seat theatre in Hollywood and belligerent drunk guys outside were a common occurrence. Most are harmless, but all are unpredictable.
When I was writing the idea, I heard an interview with Phoebe Waller-Bridge where she said (paraphrasing here) that when she writes a character, she likes to imagine them up in a tree and have the other characters throw rocks at her. The two ideas came together as I tried to have things get progressively worse for the main character Kristina.
Niven Wilson, Director of Eat the Rich
I’m afraid I can never write director statements that are remotely decent, if you need something from me the best thing that I can think of is ‘You are what you eat.’
Andreas Aicka Thomsen, Director of Miasma
Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness likely played a role in this development. As did The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers. Not to mention the numerous documentaries about daring, horrendous expeditions to Antarctica.
Most of all, however, I’ve always been fascinated by the fear of that which is invisible to the senses. Ghosts, unnerving states of the mind, cemeteries, supernatural stories, traditional folklore, elves, trolls, etc. Growing up in Denmark, Nordic atmospheres were prevalent and numerous. I’ve been familiar with Nordic rituals all my life. In a sense, I’m rediscovering my childhood emotions, fear being an important piece. In discovering the horror and the psychological reaction to fear, which at times produces illusions, I’m also experiencing strong nostalgia in the attempt to comprehend the roots of my own fears.
To see all seven films of this year’s Halloween selection, visit our screening page here.
If you like what you find, Indy Film Library is currently hosting a crowd-funding campaign. If you would like to support us in our work giving feedback to filmmakers around the world, please visit our Go Fund Me page – and share it far and wide.