PRETTY GIRLS GO TO BEAUTY SCHOOL is a horror short that follows a young woman as she gets into the elite cosmetics school - Diamond Beauties Academy.  As our protagonist, Mona, falls deeper into the school, she finds herself becoming friends with a coven of witches, who harbor disturbing secrets. 

The goal of this project is to explore Western beauty standards, both of the 1950/60s and today. The coven of witches - dubbed The Pearls - wear Vivienne Westwood and classic Hollywood styled clothing as a way to demonstrate their obsession with older beauty standards. For Mona, all she desires is to be beautiful, and has almost a fascination with how The Pearls view beauty. Leila Majlessi, the writer-director, is half-Persian and wrote Mona as a way to explore how euro-centric beauty standards have become incredibly normalized in the beauty industry, and the pressure that many women of color face to try to fit into those standards. Another theme explored in the story is the patriarchy within the beauty industry, and the unspoken desire to try to fit into that male gaze as a way to appear “more beautiful”, when these notions were decided by men rather than the women it affects. As Mona tries to win over the heart of her crush, she comes to realize that no matter how much she changes, it will never be enough for him. But that, in fact, might be the downfall of the men in this story…

The PRETTY GIRLS team plans on creating a very visual-heavy short, not using much dialogue in the story. Comps for this project are THE CRAFT, PRISCILLA, and Dario Argento’s SUSPIRIA. Inspired by technicolor from the 1960s and splatter horror of the 1970s, the short film will have a strong color palette as a way to pay homage to these film. The costume and production design teams will also be working to create the world of the Diamond Beauties Academy and The Pearls, both who have specific aesthetics. The DP and Gaffer will be working together to play with lighting and focus to create a dream-like world that by the end, will become a nightmare that both Mona, and the audience, are trapped in. 

Because of the emphasis on visuals and aesthetic, much of the campaign will be dedicated towards creating this look. The team plans on using donations towards renting out spaces for the beauty school, buying costumes/SFX makeup, and getting the right production equipment for the project. The team also plans on allocating some of the money for film festivals as a way to help garner attention for this project. Finally, as the team will have an extensive crew and cast, some of the campaign donations will also be used to help provide gas, food, and water on set. With your help, this team can not only make this vision come to life, but share the secrets of The Pearls with the world!

MEET THE TEAM! 

LEILA MAJLESSI (she/her)

Writer-Director

Leila found herself confronted with the concept of spirits and death after losing her father when she was seven. Growing up with discussions of the afterlife, as well as hearing about her grandmother’s infamous tarot card readings, Leila became comfortable with the eerie and strange, embracing the monsters in the shadows. This led her to telling stories that explore the fine line between the monstrous and humanity. Her horror feature, THE ILLUSION OF BEING ETERNAL, placed as a quarterfinalist in the 2023 Slamdance screenplay competition. Her vampire feature, COEUR SAIGNANT, also placed as a semifinalist in the 2022 Screamfest Festival screenplay competition. Leila is repped by Angelina Chen of Energy Entertainment.

ANNA ALEXANDER (she/her)

Producer/Assistant Director

Anna is a producer, actor, director, and lover of horror! Her passion of film started at a very young age when she would stay up way past her bedtime and watch movies with her brother! Since moving to Los Angeles 2 years ago, Anna has had the honor to act in several short films, work on amazing sets, and work with incredible companies such as Glamour Magazine. Her latest credits include; writing, directing, and staring in UNBLESSED UNSEEN (2023), assistant directing IYKYK (2024), and production managing an upcoming horror short MIMIC (2024). Anna is so thrilled to be  working with such innovating and talented artist on Pretty Girls Go To Beauty School! Get ready for this one folks!!

NOELLE SCHWARZ (she/her)

Producer

Noelle grew up playing in abandoned prisons and empty corn fields in rural Illinois where her dad raised her on a healthy diet of B-horror movies and science fiction TV shows. Brought up in a church where the line between good and evil was black and white, Noelle became fascinated by those whose actions blur the line between morality and criminality. She writes stories about destructive, sinister women who live in that line. She recently graduated from University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts with a B.F.A. in Writing for Film and Television. Her short film, Domestic Animals, which she co-wrote, produced, and directed was nominated for the World Impact Festival this past year. Noelle has produced several films including, Leila Majlessi's Strawberry Seance. She is currently repped by Daniel Herther at Wonderpeak Media.

CHRIS ALDERFER (he/him)

Director of Photography

Influenced by the 16mm and 35mm style of timeless filmmaking, Chris has an innate nostalgia and americana ingrained in his visual identity. His taste, informed by his suburban American upbringing, could be described as the obscurity of normalcy. He is excited to bring some of that sentiment to such an exciting and intriguing project.

NICOLE AIVAZIS  (she/her)

Gaffer

Nicole is a recent USC grad. She loves all things cinema and is excited to join the team as gaffer :)

BRANDY HERNANDEZ (she/her)

Production Designer

Brandy is a Mexican-American creative from Southern California. She has a passion for visual storytelling. She loves to bring stories to life in a unique and creative way, which drives her interest in production design. Brandy especially seeks to uplift work that highlights diverse characters and underrepresented communities.

ALISA WU (she/her)

Makeup Artist

Alisa Wu wants to put fake blood on you! Hailing from Columbus Ohio, she has had a lifelong love of makeup and female driven films. When she's not doing makeup, you can find her writing, crocheting, or watching Gravity Falls (again). 

LILY NOYD (she/her)

SFX Makeup Artist

Lily is an award-winning SFX Artist & Production Designer. She graduated from Emerson College in 2021 with a BFA in Visual & Media Arts Production and since has been working at the Independent Film & Television Alliance / American Film Market. She loves all things horror & recently produced her directorial debut, Unblessed Unseen, on which she also lead the SFX & Production Design. Lily’s journey with SFX began at age 12 when she started volunteering at haunted houses as both an actor & makeup artist.

CARRIE ZURLIENE (she/her)

Costume Designer

Carrie Zurliene is a 2022 Penn State Graduate who has just celebrated two years in Los Angeles. Wardrobe and costume design has always mesmerized her, and she’s been sketching since she was young. Her credits include: the 2018 CAPPIE Award for Best Costume Design, on the wardrobe crew for Penn State Theatre’s production of Clybourne Park directed by Steve Broadnax, Set Costumer on the Hulu film Merry Kiss Cam (2023), Background Costumer for Hallmark’s Rescuing Christmas(2023), and most recently designed the costumes for Unblessed Unseen (2024). She is overjoyed to work with so many talented individuals on this project!

JILL AEBLI (she/her)

Assistant Costume Designer

Jill Aebli is so excited to be working with the costume crew! She just recently relocated to LA, and this will be the first film she is working on. She cannot wait for everyone to see it! Keep up with her: jillaebli.com @jillianaebli

SAM STENSON (he/him)

Editor

Sam Stenson is an editor and writer based in Los Angeles, California. After falling headfirst into a now decades long relationship with Adobe Premiere, Sam cut his teeth on narrative and variety television editing at Emerson College. He continues to work freelance in LA as an editor and in production, and is excited to be part of the Beauty School crew.