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[Slamdance ’15 Review] ‘Body’ Isn’t Your Normal Girl’s Night Out

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Body is the debut feature length film from writer/directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. It starts simple enough with a group of girls hanging out on Christmas Eve, after getting high and bored Cali (Alexandra Turshen) suggests they go to her cousin’s house who are supposedly out of town. After partying for a while one of the girls, Holly (Helen Rogers), realizes Cali might be lying about who’s house they are actually in. As Holly confronts Cali about the house, a stranger arrives. Now the girls have nowhere to run.

The first thing that must be said for Body is of its incredible technical aspects. Matt Mitchell (cinematography) and Brian Gaynor (editing) deserve particular recognition for doing such a fantastic job on their first feature length film. Though the movie overall is not without fault, it’s evident this was a project that everyone cared deeply for and put the utmost care into making it. Admirable job to the whole crew on this one.

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Now that I have said my praise it’s time for a bit of criticism, this is a review, after all. Strangely, while Body is only 75 minutes the first 25-30 minutes drag. There is a lot of character introduction within the first 30 minutes and for a movie that is just barely over an hour that’s a lot of time eaten up. Plus, there wasn’t a need to get that chummy with our three characters, each of them was perfectly summed up in the first 10 minutes. The 75 minute run time is perfect for this kind of movie but if writer/director’s Dan Berk and Robert Olsen would have spent less time on the set up and more time on the execution, Body would have been a lot better.

Another thing about Body that might turn some people off is just how much one has to suspend all thoughts of reality. By that I mean some of the decisions made by the girls in the latter half of the movie are insane. But, this movie travel’s down a dark path that genuinely made my skin crawl so if I have to force myself to believe an off the cuff rash decision in order to get that feeling so be it., I liked

It might seem like I wasn’t a fan, but I liked Body. I think it’s a solid first effort for duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. They have their hearts in the right place and with a little tweaking they could actually make a name for themselves. Though if I could make any particular suggestion I would get a different perspective when writing female characters. The girls in this movie, while made believable by the actresses, are very clearly female characters written by men who haven’t figured out writing women yet.

Jess is a Northeast Ohio native who has loved all things horror and fringe since birth. She has a tendency to run at the mouth about it and decided writing was the only way not to scare everyone away. If you make a hobby into a career it becomes less creepy. Unless that hobby is collecting baby dolls. Nothing makes that less creepy.

Indie

“Bite Size Short: Her House of Horrors” Announce Short Grant Program!

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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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