Table of Contents
Alys Murray β the New Orleans-raised romance novelist turned screenwriter who cheerfully answers to "Horror Ephron" β has made a short that shouldn't work on paper and lands anyway. Beware Cckblocking Ghosts* follows goth teen Nell (Julia Lester), who is trying to put her life back together after the death of her best friend, Zayna (Ruby Jay). When those plans include going to homecoming with Warren (Reed Horstmann), Zayna's ghost intervenes with murderous intentions.
The film's provocation is right there in the title, but its heart is earned. Murray lost one of her own best friends during her senior year of high school, and years later found herself wondering how much of her life she had missed while fixated on her grief. Her answer, characteristically, was to write a horror rom-com with a swear word in the title.
Key Takeaways
- A teen horror-romance-comedy that uses a jealous poltergeist to examine toxic grief and the necessity of letting go.
- Born from Murray's own loss, and reshaped by a single note that flipped the ghost from matchmaker to c*ckblocker.
- A disabled, first-time director's proof-of-concept for a feature β made on accessible, humane sets.
Murray spoke with us about grief, genre, and the note that changed everything.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
One of my best friends died when I was a senior in high school. Years later, looking back on that experience, I started to wonder how much of my own life I had missed out on because I was so fixated on my own grief about his death.
So, naturally, I thought the best way to examine loss, toxic grief, and letting go was to write a horror rom-com with a swear word in the title.
Why this story now? Well, I have loved this recent wave of thematic horror coming to the big screens, and wanted to inject that trend with my own personal, poppy flair. Beware Cckblocking Ghosts* uses humor, heart, dread, horror, and romance to break down the audience's defenses and let the message penetrate through.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
Believe it or not, this short was originally called Beware MATCHMAKING Ghosts instead of Beware Cckblocking Ghosts*. I knew I wanted a three-hander with a poltergeist, but originally, I thought that was my way into the story.
During the development process, I had several feedback sessions with Olivia Handrahan, one of my producers. It was during one of these sessions that Olivia told me, quite insightfully, that the story I wanted to tell about grief was not coming through in my script. It was too soft, not conflict-driven enough, and not clear about what I wanted to say.
So, I flipped the premise on its head. No longer would the poltergeist be a matchmaker. She'd be a c*ckblocker. And that changed everything!
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process, creatively or logistically?
Logistically, I was so pleased to find that it's not expensive or onerous to make your film sets accessible.
As a disabled filmmaker, I was committed to doing days that were no longer than 10 hours, and committed to making my film set as accessible as possible. That accessibility β wheelchair ramps, accessible portapotties, air filters β added very little to our budget, and made our sets a safer and more humane place to be for all!
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
The climax of Beware Cckblocking Ghosts* is a trippy, nightmarish homecoming horror sequence.
I told Grant Bell, my director of photography, I wanted it to look like "Joel Schumacher, Brian De Palma, and Amy Heckerling all came together to direct a dance sequence."
During the edit, I told Gabe Nathan, my editor, what my epileptic seizures feel like in great detail, and then asked him to cut the sequence so it "feels like a seizure."
This combination of influences and execution is so uniquely me. Horrifying, visceral, stylized, and decadently delicious. I'm beyond grateful to Grant, Gabe, and the entire team for making that vision come through.
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
I was honored to have a mentoring session with Patty Jenkins, thanks to Netflix and The Inevitable Foundation. Patty and I both believe in heart-on-sleeve and shamelessly sincere storytelling, so her insights and guidance were truly invaluable as I became a first-time director!
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
As a filmmaker, I hope it allows audiences to embrace the intersection of romance and horror. There is so much potential for horror-romance as a subgenre, and I want Beware Cckblocking Ghosts* to show off that potential.
As a storyteller, I want audiences to walk away knowing that sometimes the most healing thing we can do for ourselves is let go. Let go of grief. Let go of pain. Let go of toxic friendships. Whatever it is you're holding onto, if it's causing you hurt or keeping you stuck, then it's time to let go.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts, and where do you see it going next?
For Beware Cckblocking Ghosts* to be selected by HollyShorts is truly an incredible honor. To see Ruby Jay as Zayna right beside John C. Reilly on the Instagram poster made me β a disabled, female, first-time filmmaker β feel like there was a place for me in Hollywood, and in the hearts and minds of audiences.
It's a proof-of-concept for a feature film, so I see Beware Cckblocking Ghosts* on your screens soon. It would make a great project for a streamer, or a low-budget film that could light up the big screen box office. At the core of all my work is the desire to prove that love really is the answer all along.
Main Cast & Crew
- Julia Lester as "Nell"
- Ruby Jay as "Zayna"
- Reed Horstmann as "Warren"
- Written and directed by Alys Murray
- Produced by Richie Siegel, Olivia Handrahan, Marisa Torelli-Pedevska, and Alys Murray
- Cinematographer: Grant Bell
- Editor: Gabe Nathan
- First AD: CJ Palmisano
- Casting Director: Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick
- Script Supervisor: Nila Neukum
- Closing song: "Fuzzy Socks" by Karma and the Killjoys
- Shot on location in Glendale, California at the Historic Harris House
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