Indie
Queer Horror Short ‘A Halloween Trick’ Set to Premiere on Dekkoo This Halloween!
This Halloween season, your most anticipated treat might turn out to be the deadliest trick of all.
Writer/director Michael Varrati‘s (Tales of Poe, The Office is Mine) A Halloween Trick is making its exclusive debut on Dekkoo, a gay entertainment streaming platform, on October 30. The film was created and produced as a Dekkoo original short, intended to add some “festive fright, a sprinkle of sex appeal, and a solid lesson about being a good neighbor” to this most spooky of seasons.
“It goes without saying that I’m a huge fan of Halloween and anytime I can tell a story set during that time of year, it hits a sweet spot for me,” says Varrati. “With A Halloween Trick, I kept returning to the idea of how the queer community really embraces the holiday…and how empowering that can be, but also occasionally dangerous, because we frequently throw caution to the wind in the pursuit of a good time. For me, this is a story with a social message, but also with that horror bite. A Halloween Trick is my version of the ‘Boy Who Cried Wolf’ fable intersecting with the world of EC Comics. It’s a reminder to be better to those around us…and to ourselves.”
A Halloween Trick stars Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley, Tales of Halloween), Ben Baur (Hunting Season, The Office is Mine), Matt Pascua (Wild, Where We Go From Here), Daniel Plotner (HBO’s Euphoria) and Sean Keller (co-writer of All That We Destroy and Giallo, composer of The Killer Sounds of Halloween).
In the film, an oversexed party boy (Baur) finds himself at odds with his quiet neighbor (Shepis) in the days leading up to Halloween. However, he soon discovers that their miscommunication may have deadly consequences when he accidentally invites the wrong man home for the night.”
A Halloween Trick is executive produced by Derek Curl and Brian Sokel, produced by Brandon Kirby (I’m Fine, Is This a Date), features mask design and blood effects work by acclaimed drag performer Vander Von Odd (The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula), and cinematography and score by Andrew J. Ceperley (Narcos: Mexico).
A Halloween Trick is set to debut on October 30th, 2019, on Dekkoo.
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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