Stop-motion horror short DEMONS IN THE CLOSET and interview with director James Smith

This week, our FilmQuest Film Festival short and GeekTyrant come together is the stop-motion claymation horror film Demons in the closetwhich comes from writer and director James Smith.

Demons in the closet tells the bloody and violent story of a “resident who encounters frightening demons from another realm in his closet.”

We share these short films with you to promote the films officially selected by FilmQuest directors and their work.

Watch the interview and the short film and tell us what you think!

Without spoilers, tell us what your film is about, its characters and its themes. Is this a proof of concept or a standalone story?

The film is a stop motion animated short about a resident who is challenged by demons from another realm in his closet. It’s a horror movie with lots of action sequences.

What was the inspiration for your film? How did the idea come to you?

I was inspired by the body horror cinema of the 80s. I love all the practical effects used in that era and the aesthetics that these effects have. I wanted to make a body horror film, but making it in stop motion with clay. The idea came to me quite randomly, essentially I wanted to focus on the bond between a human being and his faithful dog but in a horror setting while the protagonists face the demons in their closet.

Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a director?

I am a self-taught director from Germany. I started making films when I was very young, for more than a decade now. I am now 28 years old and have always had a passion for stop motion animated films. Stop-motion and narrative films are my passion and I intend to create more!

What inspires you to work in genre cinema and tell these types of stories?

I was mainly inspired by the body horror cinema of the 80s. Especially films like John Carpenter’s The Thing or Videodrome have inspired me as a director. I also draw inspiration from everyday life and try to use horror to build a narrative story in stop motion.

What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?

My favorite part is always the writing process and finding a way to make this story happen within the constraints of stop motion.

What are you most proud of about this film?

I’m really proud of the action effects and happy that the story with the dog and the human works within this story. Ask the dog to help the human get out of the demon realm.

What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film that you would like to share?

What was the most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?

The most challenging thing was working with clay and not ruining the characters because clay can easily transform into different shapes. I had to be very careful to animate the scenes as cleanly as possible even though we had a lot of practical and complicated scenes. Even telling this story in about a minute is a real challenge, making it compelling and interesting.

If so, how did your film change or differ from the original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has it changed the way you approach future projects?

Who were some of your collaborators and actors in the film? How did you start working together?

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?

The best advice I received was to find a creative way around all the obstacles a film production might face.

What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for that? What kinds of stories would you like to tell moving forward?

I would love to finally make my own live-action feature film, although it would be quite a challenge with planning and financing, but we’ll see what happens. I also want to create more stop motion shorts because I really enjoy making animated shorts.

What’s your next project and when can we expect to see it?

My next project would be another stop-motion short film, I have the basic idea ready but I need to refine it a little more and plan the scenes. I hope to make it happen soon. The feature film would also be on my list, but I can’t give a date because it’s quite complicated to organize, I hope it works.

Where can we find more of your work and where can interested people contact you?

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SplitterShot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/splittershot/

What is your all-time favorite movie?

Wow, that’s hard, there are so many great movies. I think of Princess Mononoke and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. But I also consider No Country for Old Men and Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz to be one of my favorite films.