The Shedding

The Shedding is an independent short horror film that explores femininity, the body and selfhood. It's creators; Lakkaya Palmer and Will Dupere admire 1980s horror films and the special and practical effects that are used to capture and terrify audiences of the time. FIlms such as An American Werewolf in London (1981), The Thing (1982) and The Fly (1986). They hope to replicate the '80s aesthetics with their use of special effects and makeup. They also hope to tune into more contemporary issues of gender, race and identity, taking inspiration from more recent horror such as Jennifer's Body (2009), Raw (2016) and Get Out (2017). The Shedding's crew consists of a collaboration between academic horror appreciation and high-level filmmaking; bringing a wealth of experience, interest and enthusiasm to this terrifyingly insightful production.

Impact

This slightly surreal horror film roots its story in the complex struggle of female identity and race, reflecting reality and actual circumstance with its visceral application of the horror genre... the literal shedding of self. This production hopes to shock and inspire its audiences with its mixture of '80s-inspired aesthetics, as well as delicate commentary on the terrors of womanhood and how this interacts with the body. Not to mention it will leave audiences gaping with its ending (Not that there's a twist! There may be a twist).

Background

The Shedding requires £1000 of funding, which, when raised through this campaign, will go towards location hire, equipment hire, props, makeup and film festival submissions (BFI Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, London Short Film Festival etc), as well as any unforeseen costs. We hope that The Shedding will be reached by a substantial audience to ensure our impact reflects our diligence, dedication and devotion. 

Any money raised over the £1000 will go towards heightening the film as much as we can - meaning more elaborate prosthetics, sets, and hopefully a premiere!

The funds raised shall be in safe hands with one of The Shedding's directors/producers: Will Dupere, who has had experience fundraising for short films as he did with his debut short film, Twatter (2023).

Shooting will take place at the end of September 2023.

Crew

Lakkaya (She/Her) is a PhD student in Film Studies at University College London (UCL), her research specialises in representations of masculinity and fatherhood in American horror cinema. A self-professed horror nut, Lakkaya is extremely well versed in the genre and has experience critiquing and analysing horror tropes. The Shedding is an exciting opportunity to apply this experience, combining aspects of race and gender with all the gory horror good-stuff.

Will (He/Him) is a recent graduate from University College London (UCL), having studied Politics. He has significant experience both as a writer and a filmmaker – having worked on many student and non-student films during his time at university. This includes every element of production both behind of and in front of the camera, including in his directorial debut Twatter (2023). This gives him ample experience to handle the technical filmmaking necessary for this shoot. Will specialises in working with genre and meta-modern filmmaking, making The Shedding a perfect fit. For more of Will's work see here.

Zoë (She/Her) is a horror film journalist, editor and creative. She is the editor-in-chief of Ghouls Magazine, a publication devoted to horror through the female perspective. She is also the co-host of the extreme cinema podcast Our Bloody Obsession and has had works featured in FANGORIA, Second Sight, Unearthed Films and 88 Films. With experience with extreme horror and body horror, Zoë is excited to work as executive producer on The Shedding.

Coco (She/Her) is a second-year Spanish and Latin student at University College London (UCL). Her previous experience is in front of the camera, including in Will Dupere's film Twatter (2023), but she is looking forward to producing such an exciting and terrifying film. She is also a licensed pilot, giving a pair of steady hands to bring the production onto the runway.

Max (He/Him) is a second year history student at University College London (UCL) and a committee member of the UCL TV and Film Society. He has significant experience behind the camera, including short films, documentaries, and live broadcasts. He is also the Director of Photography on the significant upcoming production Human Resources (2023). He is excited to work within the horror genre, having grown up loving Gilliam-esque absurdist horror he looks forward to traumatising the next generation.

Rob (He/Him) is a Civil Engineering graduate from University College London (UCL). He has unparalleled experience working in production design, and has worked on many short films during his time at university, including on Will Dupere's Twatter (2023). A lover of practical effects, Rob hopes for this film to be a celebration of classic filmmaking and practical horror.

Jasmine (She/Her) is an actress based in London, signed to Simon and How. She trained at the National Youth Theatre (NYT) and has experience acting in a range of projects from feature films [The Manor (2022), Intervention (2021)], to theatre [Green Girl (2021), Rush (2023)]. Playing the lead in a horror project is a big opportunity to stretch her acting capabilities and create powerful moments on screen.

Other Ways You Can Help

We need your help to spread this message and help us reach our funding goal. Even if you cannot contribute, please help us out by sharing our Indiegogo campaign on social media and/or with family and friends.  

When the film is complete, it will be uploaded to Vimeo and shared with all contributors. 

Thank you for your contributions!