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18.52 minutes // Drama Horror // 2016 © Awful Pretty Film, LLC

Logline

Awful Pretty is a short film about a young runaway who escapes her abusive mother, but consequently becomes involved with parents haunted by the ghost of their not so dead child.

Synopsis

Jackson and Piper Yates are haunted by the death of their daughter, Morgan. Unbeknownst to each other, they are both seeing what they think are hallucinations of Morgan until Tara, a young run away, turns up holding Morgan's stuffed rabbit. Tara confirms that the bunny was given to her by a little girl she just met in the Yates’ garden. In desperation, and against Jackson's wishes, Piper takes Tara into their home in hopes of being able to communicate with Morgan. What ensues is the real truth behind Morgan's death.

Director’s Statement

Awful Pretty showcases my style as a writer and director of the horror film genre. I’m grateful to this film for helping me find a style of horror that is unique to my point of view and one that I hope transcends its audience into that of the supernatural. Although there is no such thing as a totally original idea, I believe that Awful Pretty is unlike any other horror film you have seen. This film includes drama and psychological

suspense designed to evoke a truly emotional response in addition to the cringe-worthy reaction to its elements of gore and violence.

In this film not all reality is real, and not all the supernatural is make believe. For example, the ghost in this horror film is that of an aborted unborn child, yet she returns as a ten year old little girl to suit her purpose. Her purpose is to find a catalyst that enables her to communicate with her mother and father in ways that she cannot do on her own. The catalyst is the ten year old runaway which the ghost manipulates into delivering her message.

Furthermore, there are dream sequences in the film that reveal the gruesome truth. Whereas the supernatural interactions between the ghost child, Morgan, and the runaway child, Tara, are very real.

There is a strong mother/daughter theme throughout the film where pretty collides with the horrific. It is where the title, Awful Pretty, stems from. Pretty people live in a pretty place where awful things happen. Awful Pretty is a unique version of the horror story where nuance and strong visual scenes collide.

I hope this film leaves you with a sense of satisfaction by revealing its dark and twisted secrets and also with questions because we don’t provide you with all the answers. I want you to think about this world I’ve created and how awful pretty, or pretty awful, it is.

Cast Biographies 

D’Arcy Fellona 

D’Arcy is a Philadelphia native actress currently based in Los Angeles, CA. She spent 5 years in New York City studying at the Stella Adler Conservatory for Acting and performed in numerous Off and Off-Off Broadway theater productions. D’Arcy’s credits include roles on Criminal Minds, 30 Rock, Gossip Girl, Anger Management, and Season 4 of the Real Husbands of Hollywood. She’s also appeared in many feature and independent films. She studies with Diana Castle at The Imagined Life Studio in Los Angeles and improv at The Groundlings. D’Arcy is also a trained singer and dancer, and spent time as a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader.

Stephen Graybill

Stephen is a native east coast actor and voice over artist currently living in Los Angeles. He has been in Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, Girls Guide to Depravity, The Wire, Six Degrees, All My Children, and As the World Turns, as well as off-broadway with Playwright’s Horizons, Woodshed Collective, Studio 42, The Shakespeare Theatre in DC, and Drama Dept. He is a founding member of the film and theatre collective F*IT Club. He studied in NY at Actors Center, Upright Citizens Brigade, Groundlings, currently at Nancy Banks Studio in LA, and in England in Oxford University at BADA. He was awarded third runner up for Most Likely to Succeed in High School and has been riding that high ever since.

Lauren Meserve
Lauren is an actress, dancer, and gymnast from Los Angeles, California. At only eleven years old, she has already starred in many local productions such as Wendy in Peter Pan, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Her repertoire goes on to include shows such as Mary Poppins, Wicked, Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, and Oliver. Outside of the acting world, Lauren performs seasonally with the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet as well as competes nationally in rhythmic gymnastics.

Kristen Hagen
Kristen grew up in Virginia Beach where she was a competitive swimmer and an oceanfront lifeguard. She has studied acting with William Esper in New York, Jack Waltzer in London, and Stephen Book in Los Angeles. She has appeared in numerous commercials, TV shows, and films. Kristen can be seen in the upcoming features Escape Artist, You Will Kill, and Recovery. She lives in Los Angeles with her attorney/writer husband and their Boston Terrier, Lily.

Stella Seitz
Stella is an actress and dancer from Los Angeles, California. She is known for her roles with the Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts in productions such as The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, and Mary Poppins. She has also appeared in the productions of Alice In Wonderland and Frozen at Marlborough School. When she’s not acting, Stella performs dance solos and corps pieces with the Sophie Dance School and shows horses competitively, winning an award for youngest rider competing.

Writer/Director Biography

Alexandra (Williams) Kirr

Alexandra Kirr is a Los Angeles based actress, writer, and director. Growing up in Las Vegas as Alexandra Williams, she pursued a career in classical ballet, but after full reconstructive knee surgery, retired her dance career to work in film and theatre. She received her BA in stage and screen acting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and while there, performed in many classics such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Julie, and Dracula. While in school, her first big musical debut was in Sin City ’67, an off-broadway musical that performed in Australia at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Graduating cum laude and moving to Los Angeles, Alexandra began to work primarily in film and television. As an actress, some of Alexandra’s credits include, but are not limited to, Battle of the Sexes, Fresh Off the Boat, Awkward People, and All-Star Weekend. As a writer, Alexandra has written, directed, and produced short films which have been circuiting film festivals all over the world. Her short film, Awful Pretty, has taken home multiple awards including best female filmmaker, best cinematography, and best original score. She also enjoys writing music video treatments for both indie and commercial artists on Youtube. When she’s not filming, Alexandra enjoys spending her time doing improv comedy and boxing.

Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

Press Links

http://hollywood.greekreporter.com/2015/07/07/g...

http://sommetdame.webs.com/apps/blog/show/43429... 

http://promotehorror.com/2015/07/awful-pretty.html