The horror short film The Mill at Calder's End (USA - 2015) is Official Selection at the The Optical Theatre Festival 2016. This is a gothic ghost story in the animation genre.
The film (14 min.) pays homage to Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James and is written, produced and directed by Kevin McTurk, model maker, effects artist, cinematographer and puppeteer. The Mill at Calder's End is now part of the horror anthology film Minutes Past Midnight.
The film is the winner of several awards including: Best Short Film (Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Film Awards), Best Film (H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival) and Best Animated Short (Seattle International Film Festival).
In this short film the director I wanted to project two of his greatest passions: gothic and puppet theater. In fact, bunraku puppets (about 76 cm tall) are the protagonists of this enchanting Gothic story. Giving them their voices are John Alexander, Jason Flemyng, Piotr Michael and scream queen Barbara Steele. The puppets also bear the likenesses of some of the most important icons of genre cinema namely that of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and that of the aforementioned Barbara Steele.
Plot: nel remoto villaggio Calder's End è presente un vecchio mulino a vento in cui sono sepolti dark secrets. Nicholas Grimshaw come back to this place haunted, its casa d'infanzia, per rompere un'ancient curse that has haunted his family for generations.
Reached the decadent and mysterious mill, keeper of catacombs forgotten, Grimshaw will confront the evil that has plagued for centuries his family.
The director, who specializes in special effects, has worked on such well-known films as Jurassic Park, Interview with the Vampire, Batman Returns, The Aviator and many other cinematic works.
The Mill at Calder's End Has been selected for the following categories:
- Best Animation
- Best Short Film
The official Festival graphics:
The trailer for the film:
