What is it about dolls and puppets? Why do we find them so frightening? It’s a question no one has ever really found a definitive answer to… But that hasn’t stopped the horror genre exploiting our discomfort for years.
Now, Stopmotion from Shudder and IFC becomes the latest to unnerve us in a brand-new trailer.
Up and coming Scream Queen Aisling Franciosi adds to her horror roster, following The Nightingale and Last Voyage of Demeter, as this film’s star.
Written and directed by Robert King, in Stopmotion:
“A stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella’s mind starts to fracture, the characters in her animated film take on a terrifying life of their own, and the unleashed power of her imagination threatens to destroy her.”
The trailer delivers some very surreal visuals, as practical stop-motion effects see Ella’s unnerving creations crawl and shimmy their way across the screen. As they have for years, Stopmotion continues the trend of querying whether these creatures have a mind of their own, or is Ella losing her grip on reality. Is The Ash Man an urban legend come to life? Or has Ella’s grief all become too much for her?
Also promising some very gnarly looking body-horror effects, Stopmotion generated quite the buzz following its premiere at Fantastic Fest 2023… From the trailer it’s clear why.
Stopmotion is set to release theatrically through IFC on February 23, before heading to Shudder on May 31. The streaming service credits the film as furthering their intentions to embrace more of “the weird and distinctive side of horror.”
If you’re curious, you can check out the trailer below:
