MR. BIG HANDS
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror
A five-year-old girl is haunted by a malevolent monster emerging ominously from toilets, turning her innocent encounters with bathrooms into terrifying ordeals.
MR. BIG HANDS
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror
1 Campaigns | California, United States
97 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$18,215
Goal: $24,927 for production
A five-year-old girl is haunted by a malevolent monster emerging ominously from toilets, turning her innocent encounters with bathrooms into terrifying ordeals.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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As a child, my younger sister Gemma became convinced there was a hand in the toilet. A white plastic gloved hand, lurking in the bowl, waiting for her. She refused to go near it. At some point, we got so deep into her world that we walked down to the postbox at the end of our street and posted the hand away together as a family. Everyone got to say goodbye.
It came back.
It took my mum weeks to piece together what was actually going on – retracing Gemma's steps, trying to find her way inside her imagination – until she eventually traced it back to these toys at Gemma's kindergarten. Anyone remember Popoids? (See photo below).
As soon as the teacher removed these Popoid hands, the problem resolved itself.
But here's what stayed with me: a child who is genuinely, viscerally terrified of the toilet is in one of the most vulnerable positions imaginable. There's embarrassment in it. Regression. The fear of going backwards – of needing nappies again, of losing something you worked so hard to have. And yet the terror is completely real to them. Utterly convincing. You can't reason a child out of it or post it away. You have to find your way inside their imagination first. You have to go where they are.
That's what my mum did. That's what Sally, Imogen's mum, is still trying to do. And that gap – between a child's absolute certainty and an adult desperately trying to find their way in – is where the horror lives.
That gap is MR. BIG HANDS.
An eight-minute horror short about a little girl, a monster in the toilet, and the impossibly hard work of truly seeing a child. It examines how children process fear, how memory reshapes it, and how those early obsessions can follow us, quietly, into adulthood. The horror here is intimate rather than spectacular. It starts as something silly and becomes something you won't shake.
There's something inherently vulnerable about a bathroom. Private, exposed, and – in this film – suddenly not safe. We've seen creatures emerge from dark water before: Pennywise in the sewer, Tooms and the Flukeman crawling through pipes in the X-Files. But a giant hand in a toilet that simply will not go away, that keeps coming back, that turns the most ordinary fixture in your home into something dreadful – that's a different proposition entirely.
That's personal.
Because almost everyone has a version of this story. The fear doesn't need translating. It just needs a film.
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I'm a writer, actor, debut director. Australian by way of South Africa, Los Angeles by way of a long leap of faith. I grew up in remote South Africa in the '90s, on the edge of the Kruger National Park - which sounds idyllic until you remember that the Big Five were essentially neighbors. Lions, elephants, leopards: not metaphorical threats, actual ones. I learned quickly to look over my shoulder before wandering into my own backyard. Then we moved to Australia, where checking your shoes, your socks, and - let's be honest - your private bits before sitting anywhere became second nature pretty fast. Horror was probably always going to find me.
I've spent 15 years as an actor and writer navigating spaces in this industry that weren't built for me. MR. BIG HANDS is, in part, my answer to that - a chance to help shift how horror is told, from the inside, by building the kind of production I always wanted to walk onto.
Female-led horror – in front of the camera and behind it – isn't just having a moment. It's having a reckoning. Coralie Fargeat's The Substance premiered at Cannes and became one of the most talked-about films of 2024. Natalie Erika James' Relic – Australian, female directed, a devastating portrait of a family trying to reach a mother slipping away – shares DNA with MR. BIG HANDS. Titane won the Palme d'Or and completely rewrote what horror could be. And then there's the wave of extraordinary female performances reshaping the genre: Pearl, Midsommar, Smile and Smile 2, Cuckoo starring Hunter Schafer, Strange Darling landing a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Obsession – starring Inde Navarrette in what many are calling the most talked-about horror performance of the year.
Audiences are hungry for horror that is character-driven, emotionally grounded, and told from perspectives that haven't dominated the genre for the past 50 years. MR. BIG HANDS sits exactly in that world – a film about a woman trying to find her way into her daughter's world, made by a team of women and diverse voices who know what it feels like to not be heard.
And this particular premise travels. We're targeting a wide festival run – from SXSW and Fantastic Fest to Final Girls Berlin, Frightfest UK, Beyond Fest, Sitges, and ScreamFest LA – but the life of this film doesn't stop at the festival circuit. A monster in a toilet is instantly marketable. Halloween costumes, horror-themed brand partnerships, a premise that stops you mid-scroll and begs to be shared – the marketing and meme possibilities are as fun as the film itself. And it's a proof of concept – the feature outline is already in development.
The timing isn't accidental. This is the moment.
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Every film is only as good as the people making it. So when we say we've assembled a team we're genuinely proud of – we mean it.
Our cinematographer is Alyssa Brocato, whose feature debut Pretty Problems earned a Narrative Spotlight Audience Award at SXSW 2022 and whose instinctive feel for colour and tension is exactly what this film needs. Our composer is Freya Berkhout, whose work has been heard at Cannes, Tribeca, and the BFI, and who has a gift for building dread out of the everyday – water, gloves, silence – that makes her the only person we wanted scoring a film about a hand in a toilet. Our lead actors Natasha Estrada and Clayton Farris – both veterans of the genre, both committed to grounded, character-first performances – are exactly who Imogen and her family deserve. Behind all of it is producer Naz Mantoo, formerly VP of Unscripted Development at Legendary Entertainment, whose steady hand and sharp instincts are what keep this whole operation moving forward.
This is a majority female-identifying and diverse cast and crew who are invested in each other's careers – not just on this project but long after it wraps. They're all here because they love the genre, want to make change in this space, and are thinking about the long game. This is the start of a community, not just a shoot.
The aim is to create a culture that is creative, safe, inclusive and – above all – joyful. The only thing haunting our cast and crew will be how much fun we had making it.
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We are in active pre-production with our key cast and crew locked. Script finished. Shoot dates set for July 2026. This campaign is the final piece - the funding that takes MR. BIG HANDS from a film that exists on paper to one that exists on a festival screen.
Your support pays our cast and crew fairly, builds the practical effects (the toilet build and hand puppetry ain't easy), and supports the young actors at the heart of the story with the care they deserve. And it puts a film made by people who’ve always been afraid of what’s lurking beneath them in front of audiences ready for it.
We need to reach 80% of our goal to greenlight on Seed & Spark - the moment we hit that number, we are go. Every dollar after that makes the film better.
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💧 Pledge: Any amount makes a difference. Every dollar goes directly into the film.
👁️ Follow: Find us at @mrbighandsfilm on Instagram & TikTok for behind the scenes, updates, and everything you never wanted to know about what's lurking in the bowl.
🚽 Share: Copy and paste the text below and send it to someone who needs to check their bowl:
"Have you ever sat on the toilet and felt something reach up to get you? MR. BIG HANDS is a female-led horror short based on a true story – and it needs your support. Back the campaign: seedandspark.com/fund/mr-big-hands @mrbighandsfilm #mrbighands #dontsittoolong"
For Instagram Posts & Stories: "Something is in the toilet. A little girl knows it. Nobody believes her. Yet. Back MR. BIG HANDS on Seed & Spark – link in bio. @mrbighandsfilm #mrbighands"
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We hope MR. BIG HANDS stays with you. In the best possible way.
Don't Sit Too Long.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set Dressing
Costs $400
Everything that makes our suburban family home feel lived-in and real.
Hard Drives & Archival
Costs $553
Two external hard drives for secure storage of all footage, audio stems, and project files throughout post-production.
Production Insurance
Costs $1,000
Full production insurance covering cast, crew, equipment, and locations across both shoot days.
Production Misc
Costs $300
On-set day-of essentials and incidentals that keep the production running smoothly.
Location Cleaning
Costs $250
Professional post-shoot cleaning so we leave every space better than we found it.
Location Rental
Costs $2,500
Rental of our main suburban family home location across both shoot days.
Character Wardrobe
Costs $200
Costumes sourced from Goodwill or our actors' own wardrobes. Every dollar either clothes the character or covers the dry cleaning.
Props
Costs $50
The prop knife, the plastic cleaver, and other key items that appear on screen.
Pre-Production Prep
Costs $900
The work before the work. Location scouts, lighting tests, and shot lists – so nothing is left to chance on set.
Lighting Package
Costs $2,000
Full professional lighting kit across both shoot days - key lights, practicals, and grip support.
Camera Package
Costs $1,500
Cinema camera body, lenses, and essential camera support equipment across both shoot days.
Contingency
Costs $2,266
A standard cushion for the unexpected – a weather day, equipment swap, or extra FX testing to nail the shudder factor.
Post Production
Costs $1,400
Editor and color grading, sound design, sound mix, original score, and graphics for the poster, titles.
Practical Effects
Costs $400
Purchasing two toilets and building the hand gag that brings Mr Big Hands to life. The most fun line item in any budget.
Permits
Costs $900
City film permits to shoot legally across our locations in Los Angeles.
Craft Services (Food & Drink on Set)
Costs $1,500
Genuinely healthy, nourishing food across shoot days – no pizza comas – with all allergies and dietary needs properly catered for.
Production Cast & Crew
Costs $8,808
The people who make it happen. Day rates for our full cast and crew across both shoot days, plus SAG health and pension contributions.
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About This Team
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Annabel is an Australian writer, actor, and director based in Los Angeles. Raised in the small mining town of Phalaborwa in remote South Africa and later regional Western Australia, her path to filmmaking has taken some unexpected turns - expat time on Sulawesi Island, every retail and customer service job under the sun, and a particularly memorable stretch as an editorial assistant at a Canadian private investigator firm. She studied journalism at RMIT and spent several years as a music journalist before the pull of storytelling took her somewhere stranger. All of it finds its way into her work.
Trained at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York, she has worked across Australia, Canada, and the US as an actor and screenwriter for over 15 years - known for emotionally fierce performances and darkly human, genre-bending scripts that explore survival, transformation, and moral grey zones, all with a dry, sharp edge. Her award-winning short Death of the Party was acquired by Canadian broadcaster Super Channel, and her psychological horror feature Tanami was a Second Rounder at Austin Film Festival, earning mentorship from Rob Tapert of Ghost House Pictures (Evil Dead, Don't Breathe) and Shayne Armstrong (Bait, The Darkness). Her work has screened at Whistler Film Festival, Flickerfest, and more.
As a director, she is committed to sets that are collaborative, inclusive, and creatively liberating - with a majority female-identifying and diverse cast and crew. MR. BIG HANDS is her answer to that, and her directorial debut. It is also about a monster in a toilet. Annabel has always had a deeply trashy toilet sense of humor. Consider this her natural habitat.
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Naz is a producer and development executive who has built and led creative slates across the US, UK, and Australia. Previously VP of Unscripted Development at Legendary Entertainment, she helped build the studio's first unscripted slate and worked on globally recognized formats including The Circle and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here. She is now focused on producing original, character-driven projects across film and television, developing scripted IP and building pipelines that champion distinctive, underrepresented voices.
She and Annabel moved to LA around the same time, landed in the same neighborhood - which in LA is basically a legally binding friendship contract - and became the kind of friends that only happen when you're both figuring out the same city at the same time. Naz keeps Annabel level headed and brings the kind of steady, experienced producing instinct that every debut director needs in their corner. She has an eye for story, a deep understanding of what makes a project travel, and the development expertise to know how to build something that lasts beyond a single film.
MR. BIG HANDS marks their first official collaboration - and the beginning of what they hope will be a long creative partnership.
Alyssa Brocato is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer driven by empathetic, emotive storytelling. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, her work spans narrative, commercial, documentary, and music video across the US and abroad - and what immediately stands out is her range. She has shot in bedrooms and bathrooms, on boats and in studios, bringing the same sharp eye for color, light, and composition to every environment she steps into.
Her narrative feature credits include Pretty Problems, which earned a Narrative Spotlight Audience Award at SXSW 2022; Backseat Drivers, starring Tia Carrere, Jackie Tohn, and Weird Al Yankovic, currently in distribution; and the upcoming Ghost Complex. Her most recent television project - the eight-episode series Switch - premieres at Tribeca 2026. Her commercial and music video work includes content for Doja Cat and Janelle Monae.
Annabel is drawn to Alyssa's work for her versatility and instinctive feel for color - both central to the visual world of MR. BIG HANDS. Alyssa understands horror - how to build tension through the camera, make a space feel wrong without announcing it, and coax dread out of the ordinary. For a debut director shooting her first horror film, that knowledge is invaluable. Off set, Alyssa is an avid film photographer, cyclist, and devoted cat mom. MR. BIG HANDS is Annabel & first collaboration - and we have a feeling it won't be the last.
Monika is a Vancouver-based casting director, producer, and co-founder of the Vertical Film & Short-form Storytelling Alliance, with credits spanning CBC, TVO, PBS, Disney, Marvel, and over 100 verticals worldwide. Her experience extends across traditional media, commercial, voice-over, and motion capture casting for video games - making her one of the most versatile casting directors working today.
Her horror genre credentials are deep and growing. On the feature side, she cast Amorosa (2025), directed by Jeff Schellenberg, and Pitfall (2025) - starring Alexandra Essoe, Marshall Williams, and Richard Harmon - which screened at Screamfest to strong audience response. She brought together the cast for The Curse of Ghost Island, directed by Lisa Ovies - the queer Mexican/Canadian filmmaker called "a female Robert Rodriguez" - starring Liam Leone (In a Violent Nature) and Christian Sloan (Superman and Lois). Most recently, she cast the Atlanta-shot psychological sci-fi horror feature Othermor, starring Troy Baker (The Last of Us) and Yasmeen Fletcher (Ms. Marvel), which was introduced for global sales at the Cannes Film Festival's Marché du Film. Alongside her feature work, her horror short credits include Chimera's Ghost, Fever Dreams, and Easybake.
What sets Monika apart is her people. A genuine champion of the underdog, she is deeply invested in nurturing talent, giving upcoming actors real opportunities, and educating both actors and industry folk with transparency and honesty. As a parent to two successful actors, she brings a rare understanding and compassion to every casting decision. She is also fantastic with kids - which matters enormously on a film with young actors at its heart.
Monika and Annabel became friends when Annabel lived in Vancouver, Canada, and Monika has championed her work ever since. We are very glad she is in our corner.
Freya Berkhout is a Sydney-born, multi-award winning composer and creative technologist based in Los Angeles. She began her career as half of experimental pop duo kyü before moving into scoring film, television, podcasts, and interactive media. Notable credits include The Greenhouse (Netflix) and Rose d'Or winning Pillow Talk (Audible), and her scores have been heard at Cannes, SXSW, Warsaw, Tribeca, and the BFI.
A graduate of Sydney University, the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and Goldsmiths University of London, Freya is as technically rigorous as she is instinctive. Her work is visceral, deeply personal, and emotionally precise - she cites Cristobal Tapia de Veer as a key influence, and when you hear her work, you understand why. She rings in 2026 with a Society of Composers and Lyricists nomination for the David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent, following a Reel Change Grant from New Music USA and a 2024 Women in Film LA Music Fellowship.
A fellow Australian (like Annabel, Naz & Matt), a connector of like-minded people, and one of the hardest working people we know - Freya is currently experimenting in the sonic depths on multiple horror films. We cannot wait to hear what she does with a toilet gurgle, a rubber glove, and a child's dread.
Jacqueline is a Los Angeles-based editor and colorist whose work spans narrative shorts, documentary, and major studio campaigns. She currently works at NBCUniversal as a lead assistant editor on global theatrical marketing campaigns - bringing studio-level precision and craft to some of the biggest releases in recent years, including Oppenheimer, Wicked, Anora, Hamnet, Five Nights at Freddy's, and the just-released Super Mario Galaxy.
Her independent editorial work is where her love of genre really shines. Recent credits include Objects of Affection - a noir short that just won an Indie Spirit Award at Idyllwild Film Festival, Body of Work, a dark comedy sci-fi short, and Domina, an exorcist horror short currently in post. Her horror genre experience also extends to editing feature assemblies for Nope and Five Nights at Freddy's as well as the upcoming Other Mommy starring Jessica Chastain.
A 2024 Women in Film Editorial Fellow and 2026 WIF Editorial Juror, Jacqueline works at the intersection of light, sound, and story - synthesizing creative vision and technical precision to shape visually immersive, emotionally compelling work. Drawn to collaboration rooted in curiosity and trust, she is a champion of women working in genre - generous, deeply invested, and someone who finesses every frame until it's right. We are thrilled to have her shaping the final film.
Gabriel is an award-winning LA-based production designer and art director whose career spans film, television, commercials, music videos, and fashion – with a particular love for horror, period pieces, and the kind of eccentric genre films where world-building is everything.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gabriel found his passion for film at 13 watching George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead – and never looked back. What began as a fascination with practical makeup effects evolved into a deep love of set design and physical world-building, which he went on to study at Azusa Pacific University, graduating with a Bachelor's in Cinematic Arts. He built his career through the Art Directors Guild, working across commercials, television, and independent film.
His credits range from meticulously recreating NBC's Studio 4 for Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback Special to building drag race competition sets for Miss Arizona. His horror short The Smell of Sin – starring Tony Amendola (Annabelle, Stargate SG-1, The Mask of Zorro) and Time Winters (Gremlins 2, Sneakers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nosferatu) – was featured in Bloody Disgusting following its screening at Night Frights LA Film Festival – which tells you everything you need to know about where his heart is.
On MR. BIG HANDS, Gabriel is responsible for the world you see – and the toilet you'll never forget. We could not be more excited to have him on board.
Clayton Farris is an actor and writer originally from Dallas, Texas, based in Los Angeles - known for his signature blend of grounded performances and sharp comedic timing. That's exactly why we're excited to have him on board to play Chris, the dad in the film - warm, goofy, and instantly approachable, but with an unpredictable, slightly nerdy edge that keeps you on your toes. Grounded is the operative word: Clayton never reaches for a laugh, which is what makes him so watchable and exactly what Mr. Big Hands needs.
Clayton has spent nearly two decades in Hollywood building credits across American Horror Story, Scream Queens, The Pitt, Ratched, The Morning Show, SEAL Team, and the A24 slasher MaXXXine, before landing his most prominent role to date as Terry in Weapons - the Warner Bros. thriller from Barbarian director Zach Cregger, alongside Amy Madigan, Josh Brolin, and Julia Garner.
Away from set, Clayton has built a significant following online through his self-produced comedic content - writing, filming, and starring in videos that consistently rack up millions of views across TikTok and Instagram (IYKYK and if you don't, you're missing out). Trained at The Groundlings, he fuses improv into everything he does - which makes him the perfect person to play a dad trying to hold it together while something in the toilet will not stop coming back.
Natasha Estrada is a multi-award winning performer, writer, and director born and raised in Northeast LA. In 2007 she became the first Latina in history crowned Miss Viva Las Vegas - performing as her alter ego La Cholita - and went on to headline stages across the globe as a renowned burlesque star, singer, and stand-up comedian, catching the eye of Dita Von Teese, who handpicked her to tour Australia, the US, and the Bahamas. She has since worked with directors John Waters, Floria Sigismondi, Paul McCarthy, and Darren Lynn Bousman. Being Chicana has strongly influenced everything she creates, and she brings that same fierce, grounded specificity to every role she takes on.
That grounded specificity is exactly why we wanted her for Sally, the mom in the film. Sally is practical, protective, and fiercely rational - a woman trying to hold the logic of her world together while her daughter's imagination pulls it apart at the seams. Natasha has the rare ability to be completely anchored and emotionally unpredictable at the same time, which is precisely what this role demands. Sally needs someone the audience trusts immediately - someone warm enough to root for and steely enough to believe when things start to unravel. Natasha is that person.
Matthew is an actor and writer from rural Australia, based in Los Angeles, who has spent 15 years channeling his height and awkwardness into gloriously unsettling characters. He is best known for his role as the Catman in cult horror feature Cat Sick Blues (2016) – a film that garnered over 15 awards at genre festivals worldwide, including Best Australian Feature at MonsterFest. Additional acting credits include the horror short Man Dog Man, the sketch series Touched by an Angle Grinder, which he co-created, and the upcoming Japanese-set horror feature Listen & Repeat.
As a writer, Matthew collaborates with Greta Harrison on genre and comedy projects. Together their credits include the animated series Jar Dwellers SOS, the thriller feature Event Zero, and the sketch series Lost Dog.
Matthew and Annabel met through Australians in Film, bonding over the struggles of making the screenwriting life happen in LA, and a shared love of horror. Their catch-ups usually involve just watching horror films together.
Mr. Big Hands is a fun, physical role that demands someone with genuine creepy capacity – and Matthew has that in spades. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty for the love of the craft, which in this particular film is quite literal. Annabel cannot wait to see what he brings to the bowl.
When Matthew isn't on set or at his desk, he is saying hi to every dog in Los Angeles.
Deanna is a Chicana actor, writer, and director born and raised in San Bernardino, California - a multi-hyphenate talent with a deep love of horror and an instinct for bold, character-driven storytelling. She received her MFA in Screenwriting from California State University, Fullerton, studying under acclaimed screenwriters Dr. Anthony Sparks (Queen Sugar) and Dr. Rosanne Welch (Touched by an Angel).
Her horror short Mother, which she directed and starred in, debuted on Shudder as part of the Nyx Horror 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival and earned a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award nomination for Best Short Film. She has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the SacTown Film Festival, and has upcoming projects including the horror short The Barber. Trained at The Groundlings, Margie Haber Studio, and the Actors Studio of Orange County in Meisner technique, she is as comfortable in front of the camera as behind it.
Deeply embedded in the horror community, Deanna is the showrunner of A Bad Feeling Horror Podcast - a horror fiction storytelling podcast now in its fourth season, featuring ghoulish hosts, original horror shorts, and music. She writes, directs, produces, edits, and voices multiple characters on the show. It was that voice - and the warmth and genuine horror obsession she brings to everything - that made her the perfect choice for the voice-over role of Bridget, which opens the film.
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Jenna Brewer, a Los Angeles-based graphic designer and art director with a background in media production, currently working in non-profit communications and marketing. A 2023-24 Women in Film LA Fellow and former Art Director at Jubilee Media, her style blends mixed-media elements with digital design in a way that feels completely alive - which is exactly what MR. BIG HANDS needs.
When she's not designing, she's woodworking, writing fiction, or working with textiles. Basically, she makes things with her hands. We could not have had a better person for a film about a very large one. We are so grateful she said yes.
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Gemma is Annabel's younger sister and the unlikely muse at the heart of MR. BIG HANDS. Smaller than the other kids growing up, quiet, gentle, and possessed of a wild imagination that could turn a plastic toy into a household crisis. She is also extremely good at keeping secrets – which, given that she inspired a horror film, has proven very useful. She gave her blessing for this story to be told. We are not taking that lightly.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
As a child, my younger sister Gemma became convinced there was a hand in the toilet. A white plastic gloved hand, lurking in the bowl, waiting for her. She refused to go near it. At some point, we got so deep into her world that we walked down to the postbox at the end of our street and posted the hand away together as a family. Everyone got to say goodbye.
It came back.
It took my mum weeks to piece together what was actually going on – retracing Gemma's steps, trying to find her way inside her imagination – until she eventually traced it back to these toys at Gemma's kindergarten. Anyone remember Popoids? (See photo below).
As soon as the teacher removed these Popoid hands, the problem resolved itself.
But here's what stayed with me: a child who is genuinely, viscerally terrified of the toilet is in one of the most vulnerable positions imaginable. There's embarrassment in it. Regression. The fear of going backwards – of needing nappies again, of losing something you worked so hard to have. And yet the terror is completely real to them. Utterly convincing. You can't reason a child out of it or post it away. You have to find your way inside their imagination first. You have to go where they are.
That's what my mum did. That's what Sally, Imogen's mum, is still trying to do. And that gap – between a child's absolute certainty and an adult desperately trying to find their way in – is where the horror lives.
That gap is MR. BIG HANDS.
An eight-minute horror short about a little girl, a monster in the toilet, and the impossibly hard work of truly seeing a child. It examines how children process fear, how memory reshapes it, and how those early obsessions can follow us, quietly, into adulthood. The horror here is intimate rather than spectacular. It starts as something silly and becomes something you won't shake.
There's something inherently vulnerable about a bathroom. Private, exposed, and – in this film – suddenly not safe. We've seen creatures emerge from dark water before: Pennywise in the sewer, Tooms and the Flukeman crawling through pipes in the X-Files. But a giant hand in a toilet that simply will not go away, that keeps coming back, that turns the most ordinary fixture in your home into something dreadful – that's a different proposition entirely.
That's personal.
Because almost everyone has a version of this story. The fear doesn't need translating. It just needs a film.
I'm a writer, actor, debut director. Australian by way of South Africa, Los Angeles by way of a long leap of faith. I grew up in remote South Africa in the '90s, on the edge of the Kruger National Park - which sounds idyllic until you remember that the Big Five were essentially neighbors. Lions, elephants, leopards: not metaphorical threats, actual ones. I learned quickly to look over my shoulder before wandering into my own backyard. Then we moved to Australia, where checking your shoes, your socks, and - let's be honest - your private bits before sitting anywhere became second nature pretty fast. Horror was probably always going to find me.
I've spent 15 years as an actor and writer navigating spaces in this industry that weren't built for me. MR. BIG HANDS is, in part, my answer to that - a chance to help shift how horror is told, from the inside, by building the kind of production I always wanted to walk onto.
Female-led horror – in front of the camera and behind it – isn't just having a moment. It's having a reckoning. Coralie Fargeat's The Substance premiered at Cannes and became one of the most talked-about films of 2024. Natalie Erika James' Relic – Australian, female directed, a devastating portrait of a family trying to reach a mother slipping away – shares DNA with MR. BIG HANDS. Titane won the Palme d'Or and completely rewrote what horror could be. And then there's the wave of extraordinary female performances reshaping the genre: Pearl, Midsommar, Smile and Smile 2, Cuckoo starring Hunter Schafer, Strange Darling landing a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Obsession – starring Inde Navarrette in what many are calling the most talked-about horror performance of the year.
Audiences are hungry for horror that is character-driven, emotionally grounded, and told from perspectives that haven't dominated the genre for the past 50 years. MR. BIG HANDS sits exactly in that world – a film about a woman trying to find her way into her daughter's world, made by a team of women and diverse voices who know what it feels like to not be heard.
And this particular premise travels. We're targeting a wide festival run – from SXSW and Fantastic Fest to Final Girls Berlin, Frightfest UK, Beyond Fest, Sitges, and ScreamFest LA – but the life of this film doesn't stop at the festival circuit. A monster in a toilet is instantly marketable. Halloween costumes, horror-themed brand partnerships, a premise that stops you mid-scroll and begs to be shared – the marketing and meme possibilities are as fun as the film itself. And it's a proof of concept – the feature outline is already in development.
The timing isn't accidental. This is the moment.
Every film is only as good as the people making it. So when we say we've assembled a team we're genuinely proud of – we mean it.
Our cinematographer is Alyssa Brocato, whose feature debut Pretty Problems earned a Narrative Spotlight Audience Award at SXSW 2022 and whose instinctive feel for colour and tension is exactly what this film needs. Our composer is Freya Berkhout, whose work has been heard at Cannes, Tribeca, and the BFI, and who has a gift for building dread out of the everyday – water, gloves, silence – that makes her the only person we wanted scoring a film about a hand in a toilet. Our lead actors Natasha Estrada and Clayton Farris – both veterans of the genre, both committed to grounded, character-first performances – are exactly who Imogen and her family deserve. Behind all of it is producer Naz Mantoo, formerly VP of Unscripted Development at Legendary Entertainment, whose steady hand and sharp instincts are what keep this whole operation moving forward.
This is a majority female-identifying and diverse cast and crew who are invested in each other's careers – not just on this project but long after it wraps. They're all here because they love the genre, want to make change in this space, and are thinking about the long game. This is the start of a community, not just a shoot.
The aim is to create a culture that is creative, safe, inclusive and – above all – joyful. The only thing haunting our cast and crew will be how much fun we had making it.
We are in active pre-production with our key cast and crew locked. Script finished. Shoot dates set for July 2026. This campaign is the final piece - the funding that takes MR. BIG HANDS from a film that exists on paper to one that exists on a festival screen.
Your support pays our cast and crew fairly, builds the practical effects (the toilet build and hand puppetry ain't easy), and supports the young actors at the heart of the story with the care they deserve. And it puts a film made by people who’ve always been afraid of what’s lurking beneath them in front of audiences ready for it.
We need to reach 80% of our goal to greenlight on Seed & Spark - the moment we hit that number, we are go. Every dollar after that makes the film better.
💧 Pledge: Any amount makes a difference. Every dollar goes directly into the film.
👁️ Follow: Find us at @mrbighandsfilm on Instagram & TikTok for behind the scenes, updates, and everything you never wanted to know about what's lurking in the bowl.
🚽 Share: Copy and paste the text below and send it to someone who needs to check their bowl:
"Have you ever sat on the toilet and felt something reach up to get you? MR. BIG HANDS is a female-led horror short based on a true story – and it needs your support. Back the campaign: seedandspark.com/fund/mr-big-hands @mrbighandsfilm #mrbighands #dontsittoolong"
For Instagram Posts & Stories: "Something is in the toilet. A little girl knows it. Nobody believes her. Yet. Back MR. BIG HANDS on Seed & Spark – link in bio. @mrbighandsfilm #mrbighands"
We hope MR. BIG HANDS stays with you. In the best possible way.
Don't Sit Too Long.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set Dressing
Costs $400
Everything that makes our suburban family home feel lived-in and real.
Hard Drives & Archival
Costs $553
Two external hard drives for secure storage of all footage, audio stems, and project files throughout post-production.
Production Insurance
Costs $1,000
Full production insurance covering cast, crew, equipment, and locations across both shoot days.
Production Misc
Costs $300
On-set day-of essentials and incidentals that keep the production running smoothly.
Location Cleaning
Costs $250
Professional post-shoot cleaning so we leave every space better than we found it.
Location Rental
Costs $2,500
Rental of our main suburban family home location across both shoot days.
Character Wardrobe
Costs $200
Costumes sourced from Goodwill or our actors' own wardrobes. Every dollar either clothes the character or covers the dry cleaning.
Props
Costs $50
The prop knife, the plastic cleaver, and other key items that appear on screen.
Pre-Production Prep
Costs $900
The work before the work. Location scouts, lighting tests, and shot lists – so nothing is left to chance on set.
Lighting Package
Costs $2,000
Full professional lighting kit across both shoot days - key lights, practicals, and grip support.
Camera Package
Costs $1,500
Cinema camera body, lenses, and essential camera support equipment across both shoot days.
Contingency
Costs $2,266
A standard cushion for the unexpected – a weather day, equipment swap, or extra FX testing to nail the shudder factor.
Post Production
Costs $1,400
Editor and color grading, sound design, sound mix, original score, and graphics for the poster, titles.
Practical Effects
Costs $400
Purchasing two toilets and building the hand gag that brings Mr Big Hands to life. The most fun line item in any budget.
Permits
Costs $900
City film permits to shoot legally across our locations in Los Angeles.
Craft Services (Food & Drink on Set)
Costs $1,500
Genuinely healthy, nourishing food across shoot days – no pizza comas – with all allergies and dietary needs properly catered for.
Production Cast & Crew
Costs $8,808
The people who make it happen. Day rates for our full cast and crew across both shoot days, plus SAG health and pension contributions.
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About This Team
Annabel is an Australian writer, actor, and director based in Los Angeles. Raised in the small mining town of Phalaborwa in remote South Africa and later regional Western Australia, her path to filmmaking has taken some unexpected turns - expat time on Sulawesi Island, every retail and customer service job under the sun, and a particularly memorable stretch as an editorial assistant at a Canadian private investigator firm. She studied journalism at RMIT and spent several years as a music journalist before the pull of storytelling took her somewhere stranger. All of it finds its way into her work.
Trained at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York, she has worked across Australia, Canada, and the US as an actor and screenwriter for over 15 years - known for emotionally fierce performances and darkly human, genre-bending scripts that explore survival, transformation, and moral grey zones, all with a dry, sharp edge. Her award-winning short Death of the Party was acquired by Canadian broadcaster Super Channel, and her psychological horror feature Tanami was a Second Rounder at Austin Film Festival, earning mentorship from Rob Tapert of Ghost House Pictures (Evil Dead, Don't Breathe) and Shayne Armstrong (Bait, The Darkness). Her work has screened at Whistler Film Festival, Flickerfest, and more.
As a director, she is committed to sets that are collaborative, inclusive, and creatively liberating - with a majority female-identifying and diverse cast and crew. MR. BIG HANDS is her answer to that, and her directorial debut. It is also about a monster in a toilet. Annabel has always had a deeply trashy toilet sense of humor. Consider this her natural habitat.
Naz is a producer and development executive who has built and led creative slates across the US, UK, and Australia. Previously VP of Unscripted Development at Legendary Entertainment, she helped build the studio's first unscripted slate and worked on globally recognized formats including The Circle and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here. She is now focused on producing original, character-driven projects across film and television, developing scripted IP and building pipelines that champion distinctive, underrepresented voices.
She and Annabel moved to LA around the same time, landed in the same neighborhood - which in LA is basically a legally binding friendship contract - and became the kind of friends that only happen when you're both figuring out the same city at the same time. Naz keeps Annabel level headed and brings the kind of steady, experienced producing instinct that every debut director needs in their corner. She has an eye for story, a deep understanding of what makes a project travel, and the development expertise to know how to build something that lasts beyond a single film.
MR. BIG HANDS marks their first official collaboration - and the beginning of what they hope will be a long creative partnership.
Alyssa Brocato is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer driven by empathetic, emotive storytelling. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, her work spans narrative, commercial, documentary, and music video across the US and abroad - and what immediately stands out is her range. She has shot in bedrooms and bathrooms, on boats and in studios, bringing the same sharp eye for color, light, and composition to every environment she steps into.
Her narrative feature credits include Pretty Problems, which earned a Narrative Spotlight Audience Award at SXSW 2022; Backseat Drivers, starring Tia Carrere, Jackie Tohn, and Weird Al Yankovic, currently in distribution; and the upcoming Ghost Complex. Her most recent television project - the eight-episode series Switch - premieres at Tribeca 2026. Her commercial and music video work includes content for Doja Cat and Janelle Monae.
Annabel is drawn to Alyssa's work for her versatility and instinctive feel for color - both central to the visual world of MR. BIG HANDS. Alyssa understands horror - how to build tension through the camera, make a space feel wrong without announcing it, and coax dread out of the ordinary. For a debut director shooting her first horror film, that knowledge is invaluable. Off set, Alyssa is an avid film photographer, cyclist, and devoted cat mom. MR. BIG HANDS is Annabel & first collaboration - and we have a feeling it won't be the last.
Monika is a Vancouver-based casting director, producer, and co-founder of the Vertical Film & Short-form Storytelling Alliance, with credits spanning CBC, TVO, PBS, Disney, Marvel, and over 100 verticals worldwide. Her experience extends across traditional media, commercial, voice-over, and motion capture casting for video games - making her one of the most versatile casting directors working today.
Her horror genre credentials are deep and growing. On the feature side, she cast Amorosa (2025), directed by Jeff Schellenberg, and Pitfall (2025) - starring Alexandra Essoe, Marshall Williams, and Richard Harmon - which screened at Screamfest to strong audience response. She brought together the cast for The Curse of Ghost Island, directed by Lisa Ovies - the queer Mexican/Canadian filmmaker called "a female Robert Rodriguez" - starring Liam Leone (In a Violent Nature) and Christian Sloan (Superman and Lois). Most recently, she cast the Atlanta-shot psychological sci-fi horror feature Othermor, starring Troy Baker (The Last of Us) and Yasmeen Fletcher (Ms. Marvel), which was introduced for global sales at the Cannes Film Festival's Marché du Film. Alongside her feature work, her horror short credits include Chimera's Ghost, Fever Dreams, and Easybake.
What sets Monika apart is her people. A genuine champion of the underdog, she is deeply invested in nurturing talent, giving upcoming actors real opportunities, and educating both actors and industry folk with transparency and honesty. As a parent to two successful actors, she brings a rare understanding and compassion to every casting decision. She is also fantastic with kids - which matters enormously on a film with young actors at its heart.
Monika and Annabel became friends when Annabel lived in Vancouver, Canada, and Monika has championed her work ever since. We are very glad she is in our corner.
Freya Berkhout is a Sydney-born, multi-award winning composer and creative technologist based in Los Angeles. She began her career as half of experimental pop duo kyü before moving into scoring film, television, podcasts, and interactive media. Notable credits include The Greenhouse (Netflix) and Rose d'Or winning Pillow Talk (Audible), and her scores have been heard at Cannes, SXSW, Warsaw, Tribeca, and the BFI.
A graduate of Sydney University, the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and Goldsmiths University of London, Freya is as technically rigorous as she is instinctive. Her work is visceral, deeply personal, and emotionally precise - she cites Cristobal Tapia de Veer as a key influence, and when you hear her work, you understand why. She rings in 2026 with a Society of Composers and Lyricists nomination for the David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent, following a Reel Change Grant from New Music USA and a 2024 Women in Film LA Music Fellowship.
A fellow Australian (like Annabel, Naz & Matt), a connector of like-minded people, and one of the hardest working people we know - Freya is currently experimenting in the sonic depths on multiple horror films. We cannot wait to hear what she does with a toilet gurgle, a rubber glove, and a child's dread.
Jacqueline is a Los Angeles-based editor and colorist whose work spans narrative shorts, documentary, and major studio campaigns. She currently works at NBCUniversal as a lead assistant editor on global theatrical marketing campaigns - bringing studio-level precision and craft to some of the biggest releases in recent years, including Oppenheimer, Wicked, Anora, Hamnet, Five Nights at Freddy's, and the just-released Super Mario Galaxy.
Her independent editorial work is where her love of genre really shines. Recent credits include Objects of Affection - a noir short that just won an Indie Spirit Award at Idyllwild Film Festival, Body of Work, a dark comedy sci-fi short, and Domina, an exorcist horror short currently in post. Her horror genre experience also extends to editing feature assemblies for Nope and Five Nights at Freddy's as well as the upcoming Other Mommy starring Jessica Chastain.
A 2024 Women in Film Editorial Fellow and 2026 WIF Editorial Juror, Jacqueline works at the intersection of light, sound, and story - synthesizing creative vision and technical precision to shape visually immersive, emotionally compelling work. Drawn to collaboration rooted in curiosity and trust, she is a champion of women working in genre - generous, deeply invested, and someone who finesses every frame until it's right. We are thrilled to have her shaping the final film.
Gabriel is an award-winning LA-based production designer and art director whose career spans film, television, commercials, music videos, and fashion – with a particular love for horror, period pieces, and the kind of eccentric genre films where world-building is everything.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gabriel found his passion for film at 13 watching George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead – and never looked back. What began as a fascination with practical makeup effects evolved into a deep love of set design and physical world-building, which he went on to study at Azusa Pacific University, graduating with a Bachelor's in Cinematic Arts. He built his career through the Art Directors Guild, working across commercials, television, and independent film.
His credits range from meticulously recreating NBC's Studio 4 for Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback Special to building drag race competition sets for Miss Arizona. His horror short The Smell of Sin – starring Tony Amendola (Annabelle, Stargate SG-1, The Mask of Zorro) and Time Winters (Gremlins 2, Sneakers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nosferatu) – was featured in Bloody Disgusting following its screening at Night Frights LA Film Festival – which tells you everything you need to know about where his heart is.
On MR. BIG HANDS, Gabriel is responsible for the world you see – and the toilet you'll never forget. We could not be more excited to have him on board.
Clayton Farris is an actor and writer originally from Dallas, Texas, based in Los Angeles - known for his signature blend of grounded performances and sharp comedic timing. That's exactly why we're excited to have him on board to play Chris, the dad in the film - warm, goofy, and instantly approachable, but with an unpredictable, slightly nerdy edge that keeps you on your toes. Grounded is the operative word: Clayton never reaches for a laugh, which is what makes him so watchable and exactly what Mr. Big Hands needs.
Clayton has spent nearly two decades in Hollywood building credits across American Horror Story, Scream Queens, The Pitt, Ratched, The Morning Show, SEAL Team, and the A24 slasher MaXXXine, before landing his most prominent role to date as Terry in Weapons - the Warner Bros. thriller from Barbarian director Zach Cregger, alongside Amy Madigan, Josh Brolin, and Julia Garner.
Away from set, Clayton has built a significant following online through his self-produced comedic content - writing, filming, and starring in videos that consistently rack up millions of views across TikTok and Instagram (IYKYK and if you don't, you're missing out). Trained at The Groundlings, he fuses improv into everything he does - which makes him the perfect person to play a dad trying to hold it together while something in the toilet will not stop coming back.
Natasha Estrada is a multi-award winning performer, writer, and director born and raised in Northeast LA. In 2007 she became the first Latina in history crowned Miss Viva Las Vegas - performing as her alter ego La Cholita - and went on to headline stages across the globe as a renowned burlesque star, singer, and stand-up comedian, catching the eye of Dita Von Teese, who handpicked her to tour Australia, the US, and the Bahamas. She has since worked with directors John Waters, Floria Sigismondi, Paul McCarthy, and Darren Lynn Bousman. Being Chicana has strongly influenced everything she creates, and she brings that same fierce, grounded specificity to every role she takes on.
That grounded specificity is exactly why we wanted her for Sally, the mom in the film. Sally is practical, protective, and fiercely rational - a woman trying to hold the logic of her world together while her daughter's imagination pulls it apart at the seams. Natasha has the rare ability to be completely anchored and emotionally unpredictable at the same time, which is precisely what this role demands. Sally needs someone the audience trusts immediately - someone warm enough to root for and steely enough to believe when things start to unravel. Natasha is that person.
Matthew is an actor and writer from rural Australia, based in Los Angeles, who has spent 15 years channeling his height and awkwardness into gloriously unsettling characters. He is best known for his role as the Catman in cult horror feature Cat Sick Blues (2016) – a film that garnered over 15 awards at genre festivals worldwide, including Best Australian Feature at MonsterFest. Additional acting credits include the horror short Man Dog Man, the sketch series Touched by an Angle Grinder, which he co-created, and the upcoming Japanese-set horror feature Listen & Repeat.
As a writer, Matthew collaborates with Greta Harrison on genre and comedy projects. Together their credits include the animated series Jar Dwellers SOS, the thriller feature Event Zero, and the sketch series Lost Dog.
Matthew and Annabel met through Australians in Film, bonding over the struggles of making the screenwriting life happen in LA, and a shared love of horror. Their catch-ups usually involve just watching horror films together.
Mr. Big Hands is a fun, physical role that demands someone with genuine creepy capacity – and Matthew has that in spades. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty for the love of the craft, which in this particular film is quite literal. Annabel cannot wait to see what he brings to the bowl.
When Matthew isn't on set or at his desk, he is saying hi to every dog in Los Angeles.
Deanna is a Chicana actor, writer, and director born and raised in San Bernardino, California - a multi-hyphenate talent with a deep love of horror and an instinct for bold, character-driven storytelling. She received her MFA in Screenwriting from California State University, Fullerton, studying under acclaimed screenwriters Dr. Anthony Sparks (Queen Sugar) and Dr. Rosanne Welch (Touched by an Angel).
Her horror short Mother, which she directed and starred in, debuted on Shudder as part of the Nyx Horror 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival and earned a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award nomination for Best Short Film. She has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the SacTown Film Festival, and has upcoming projects including the horror short The Barber. Trained at The Groundlings, Margie Haber Studio, and the Actors Studio of Orange County in Meisner technique, she is as comfortable in front of the camera as behind it.
Deeply embedded in the horror community, Deanna is the showrunner of A Bad Feeling Horror Podcast - a horror fiction storytelling podcast now in its fourth season, featuring ghoulish hosts, original horror shorts, and music. She writes, directs, produces, edits, and voices multiple characters on the show. It was that voice - and the warmth and genuine horror obsession she brings to everything - that made her the perfect choice for the voice-over role of Bridget, which opens the film.
Jenna Brewer, a Los Angeles-based graphic designer and art director with a background in media production, currently working in non-profit communications and marketing. A 2023-24 Women in Film LA Fellow and former Art Director at Jubilee Media, her style blends mixed-media elements with digital design in a way that feels completely alive - which is exactly what MR. BIG HANDS needs.
When she's not designing, she's woodworking, writing fiction, or working with textiles. Basically, she makes things with her hands. We could not have had a better person for a film about a very large one. We are so grateful she said yes.
Gemma is Annabel's younger sister and the unlikely muse at the heart of MR. BIG HANDS. Smaller than the other kids growing up, quiet, gentle, and possessed of a wild imagination that could turn a plastic toy into a household crisis. She is also extremely good at keeping secrets – which, given that she inspired a horror film, has proven very useful. She gave her blessing for this story to be told. We are not taking that lightly.