She Came from Above

The final days are imminent. Two friends are awaiting the end. A young lady faces moral challenges as she tries to live her last days according to her own set of values.

An homage to the eerie gothic films of a bygone era.spa

Starring: Loukia Merdanos, Emily Shanley and Deniz Berkin.

Comments

Horror left to the imagination is a concept that I never fully explored in any of my films and wanted to give it a shot. Ever since I read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House when I was in high school I was fascinated by this concept. There is a famous scene in the book ( and the film adaption ) where some horror is banging, with chains clanging, from behind a door and while the characters and audience stare in horror.

But I think, one of the most successful traits of a horror film is when you can relate to the characters. In the classic Halloween – the original John Carpenter film it took almost a whole hours before any thing scary happened and in the mean while we were getting to know and Jamie Lee Curtis and all her teenage angst. Once you feel and like the the people involved the power if the horror is increased. In a short film you only have a few minutes to try to build this sympathy. I find that showing vulnerability is a great way to build some rapport.

This film was such a fun shoot. We shot it in one day. Emily Shanley was someone I had worked with many , many time and was so glad that she agreed to be involved. I find her to be an extremely talented actress and she always elevates my films with her presence. Loukia Merdanos was a lady who I met at the film lab where I bring my rolls to be processed. She has a natural sense of innocence and I really brought depth to the moral choices that were required for her role. I was really happy to finally work with her and hopefully we can again in the future.

Ironically this film was shot about a month before the COVID-19 pandemic began and in some ways predicts the social changes that came with the pandemic. The characters are stuck at home and there is an unknown evil working outside the safe confines of home. A European film festival invited me to screen believing that this film was shot during the lock downs of the pandemic but I clarified that it was not.

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