Exclusives
‘The Cramps: A Period Piece’ Teaser – John Waters Meets Mario Bava in 35mm Horror-Comedy [Exclusive]
John Waters‘ irreverence meets the macabre stylings of Mario Bava wrapped in the dreamlike allure of Federico Fellini in The Cramps: A Period Piece.
Explore the horrors of being a woman in our exclusive teaser trailer below.
The fantastical, coming-of-age horror-comedy will have its world premiere this Friday, September 19, at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX.
Agnes Applewhite, a blossoming young woman caught between her sanctimonious mother and tightly wound sister, defies her family’s expectations by taking a job as a shampoo girl at a lively beauty salon. As she thrives in this new colorful world, she is suddenly confronted by debilitating menstrual cramps that become real-life monsters, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.
Shot on 35mm film with a technicolor palette and nods to 1960s aesthetics, the movie marks the feature debut of writer-director Brooke H. Cellars, inspired by her own battle with endometriosis.
Lauren Kitchen, Martini Bear, Brooklyn Woods, Wicken Taylor, Michelle Malentina, Vincent Stalba, Sylvia Grace Crim, Jared Bankens, Harlie Madison, Jude Ducet, Olivia Peck, Penny Leleux, Gabriel Steven Perez, and Jeff Pearson star.
“I believe horror is what scares us,” says Cellars. “What scares me is not a slew of vampires or a band of zombies. It’s not a slasher waiting for me in the bushes or a cannibal after my spleen. The true monster is our everyday lives. What scares me is real life and what people have to deal with in secret in their own lives.”
Cellars continues, “My goal for The Cramps being a horror movie isn’t to shock or be gory or blood blood blood. I want this horror to be comforting and for my audience to see a piece of themselves in it. I want to surprise you with something you didn’t expect to find in a
horror film. A warm hug in the middle of a nightmare and a gentle punch in the gut with some truth.”
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika