Indie
Bill Oberst Jr. Goes Pretty Dark in ‘Dis’ [Trailer]
Even though he might not be quite on the mainstream radar yet, indie underground icon, Bill Oberst Jr. has had his share of diverse roles. He’s pretty prolific and has made some pretty daring choices on both the light and dark sides. He’s played General Sherman, Abraham Lincoln, a killer clown and more bad guys than you can shake a bloody knife at. He’s just hitting his stride and in the upcoming film Dis, he may have added some pretty heavy arthouse horror to his dossier.
Dis delves deep into the legend of the Mandrake, a plant that is said to possess such mystical properties as having a lethal shriek when it’s dug up that kills everyone around it, or at the very least, drives them crazy. Bill Oberst plays a wandering soldier of fortune type that finds himself in familiar territory somewhere Mexico, but this time around he’s stalked by something that wants to use him as fertilizer for a literal torture garden. Dis is helmed by director Adrian Corona and exudes a visual potency that makes it really uncomfortably irresistible to watch. The opening scene is unflinchingly and simultaneously a hit right between the eyes that will make anyone else in the room with you question your taste in film. “Viscerally ethereal” comes to mind, and those two words usually don’t go together, but then again neither do monsters with nice cleavage, horticulture through homicide, and unhappy happy endings.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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