Plastophobia
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror
Plastophobia follows a struggling security guard on a graveyard shift in a recently closed down shopping mall, where a muscle-bound janitor stalks intruders and turns them into mannequins to keep him company.
Plastophobia
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $16,830 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
22 supporters | followers
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Plastophobia follows a struggling security guard on a graveyard shift in a recently closed down shopping mall, where a muscle-bound janitor stalks intruders and turns them into mannequins to keep him company.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Set on a cold night in a recently closed shopping mall, a disgruntled security guard named Richard makes his final rounds, patrolling the vast mall's liminal grounds. Drinking away his sorrows over looming unemployment among the empty shelves and reveling in nostalgia, Richard begins to sense another presence lurking in the shadows. As posed mannequins start appearing, Richard soon confronts a hulking, mysterious janitor squatting in the backrooms of the mall. The janitor wants to turn Richard into one of his mannequins for company. Richard must escape the mall before plastic is all he will ever see.
If you love horror that lingers in your head long after the lights come up, then this film is for you! Plastophobia is built around unforgettable, spine-tingling images and moments that stick. The horror community has only grown stronger over the years. What once lived in niche forums and late-night cable now thrives across streaming platforms, TikTok edits, and YouTube breakdowns. Horror fans aren’t just watching anymore, you’re dissecting, remixing, sharing, and championing the films you adore.
If you’re drawn to liminal spaces, vaporwave aesthetics, analog horror, or the eerie vibes of creepypastas, you’ll feel right at home here. The internet has changed how we experience fear. What used to spread through word of mouth now travels instantly, building communities around unsettling images and strange stories. Whether you grew up wandering shopping malls in your youth or discovered them through “dead mall” videos online, this film taps into that shared memory of the beauty, the emptiness, and the quiet dread of spaces in transition. If you gravitate towards themes of loneliness, change, and mortality, this film will resonate with you.
When you contribute through Seed & Spark, you’re not just backing a horror short, you’re helping us bring it to life the right way. Your support goes directly toward feeding and sustaining a hardworking cast and crew and securing an abandoned or defunct mall location that gives the film its authenticity. The remaining funds ensure a smooth post-production process: immersive sound design, an engrossing edit, and a haunting original score. This is a tight, carefully designed budget focused entirely on delivering a polished, visually striking, and genuinely unsettling film!
The original seed of Plastophobia came from a nightmare I had one night. I was completely alone in a desolate mall, being chased by a mysterious, giant man with his hair obscuring his face. The image struck such a deep nerve that I woke up in a sweat. I immediately wrote it down, and when I woke up the next morning, I was convinced it should be my next project.
The dream and its setting weren’t far removed from my waking life. I’ve always had a strange fascination with abandoned malls, and with Muzak, the easy-listening jazz that once echoed through their speakers. As I explored
the concept of Plastophobia, I began to see my own fears of being forgotten amid the rapid technological changes reshaping society and art.
Change is inevitable, yet often difficult. As these physical shopping destinations close their doors and online shopping dominates, I wanted to preserve the essence of what these spaces once meant to people through film. We are witnessing the twilight years of these dying, classic retail meccas, and Plastophobia is my way of memorializing them.
As the writer, director, producer, and actor portraying the security guard, my goal is to capture the uncanny, surreal tone of that dream, along with the unease of being in a place you shouldn’t be and the scares surrounding it. The film draws inspiration from the lonely atmosphere of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse, the dread of Bradley Parker’s Chernobyl Diaries (total worldwide gross $38 million against a budget of $1 million), and the escalating intensity of Takashi Miike’s Audition.
At its core, Plastophobia stems from the haunted house subgenre of horror, but focuses on more human elements, filtered through a surreal, dreamlike logic reminiscent of the films of David Lynch and the horror work of Lucio Fulci. Moving beyond live-action cinema, Plastophobia also draws inspiration from the reality-bending atmosphere of the anime Perfect Blue. It further pulls from video games such as the uncanny aesthetic of Silent Hill 3 and the isolating experience of Dead Rising when the mall is empty of zombies. Like Chernobyl Diaries, the location itself becomes a character, exploring themes of change alongside Richard and the janitor.
Once we have a finished film, we intend to submit it to horror festivals such as Fantasia, Screamfest, Brooklyn Horror Festival, Sitges, and Fantastic Fest. These festivals have strong reputations among the horror community, providing valuable opportunities for exposure. After its festival run, the plan is to release the film on Alter, a YouTube channel that
curates horror narratives for audiences on the internet.
If you’ve made it this far, we want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to explore our Seed & Spark campaign. We are passionate and excited to bring Plastophobia to life, and your support, whether through a contribution or by sharing the campaign to help us reach more people, would mean the world to us. Thank you for being part of this journey!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production (Crew)
Costs $4,000
We would like to ensure that everyone who works on this project is fairly compensated.
Production Gear
Costs $4,000
To ensure the correct tone and atmosphere for the film, we need to have all the correct equipment.
Production (Art)
Costs $2,000
In a film where a man is haunted by mannequins, we need an army of them, and on top of that we need set design elements that reflect 2002.
Production (Location)
Costs $6,000
We have already secured a closed down mall which would be the perfect location for the film, we just need permits.
Logistics/Food
Costs $2,000
We need to ensure that everyone involved in this production is well fed throughout its entirety.
Post Production
Costs $1,000
To cover the VFX needed for the film.
Contingency Fee
Costs $1,000
5% Contingency to make sure that any unexpected thing that may come up will not stop us.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Maximilian Schmidt - Writer/Director/Producer
Maximilian Schmidt is a writer and director whose work explores the macabre corners of human nature. Horror has been embedded in his creative DNA from an early age, shaping his voice as a filmmaker. With multiple award-winning horror shorts to his name like Everythingeater and Bigger/Better/Harder, Maximilian continues to push the boundaries of the genre, telling grounded, unsettling stories that center on outsiders, “freaks", and the darker truths of humanity.
Zach Chaloux - Producer
Zach Chaloux is a producer from Atlanta, Georgia, who has been living in LA for three years. His current role is as a producer at Voice and Script International, the world's biggest dubbing studio, where for Netflix he’s worked on dozens of horror films from all over the world. With this experience, he has found an appreciation for the liminal horror storytelling, which has been huge in cultures all around the world like Japan, Korea and Germany. It's the kind of horror that really sits with you long after you’ve turned it off. Plastophobia captures that feeling.
Walter Diaz - Cinematographer
Walter Diaz is a Mexican-American cinematographer and writer whose work explores dark realities infused with optimistic surreality. Born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, Walter brings an authentic perspective to his art, deeply inspired by his heritage. Influenced by rock and metal of the late 90s and early 2000s, he incorporates a strong sense of rhythm and depth in his visual narratives. With a BFA from Art Center College of Design, Walter has crafted a career in short films, documentaries, and commercials. Known for pushing the creative boundaries, he creates thoughtful, forward-thinking stories that draw viewers into immersive worlds of darkness and hope.
Rajarajeshwari “Rj” Ragampudi - Production Designer
Rajarajeshwari “Rj” Ragampudi is a Los Angeles–based production designer with a background in architecture, trained in India and holding an MFA in Production Design from the American Film Institute. Her work treats cinematic space as a narrative and emotional force, grounded in architectural rigor and a commitment to story and character. She served as production designer on the AFI thesis film Killer of Men which is currently on its festival run, and has since designed narrative projects, centered on empathy and collaboration. Rj was an AFI exhibitor at UCLA Design Showcase West 2025, a 2025 Telluride Filmlab participant, and is a part of Issa Rae’s ColorCreative Find Your People Cohort 2025. Her recent work includes the award-winning short Egg-secution, which was nominated for Best Production Design at the Days of the Dead Film Festival and her first independent feature, set to release in 2026.
Emmalani Howe - Special Effects Makeup Artist
Emmalani Howe is an award-winning Special Effects Makeup Artist driven by a deep passion for transformation and storytelling. With three years of experience in the industry, she specializes in creating immersive, visually striking looks that blur the line between reality and imagination. Her work is rooted in precision, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of elevating every project she touches.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Set on a cold night in a recently closed shopping mall, a disgruntled security guard named Richard makes his final rounds, patrolling the vast mall's liminal grounds. Drinking away his sorrows over looming unemployment among the empty shelves and reveling in nostalgia, Richard begins to sense another presence lurking in the shadows. As posed mannequins start appearing, Richard soon confronts a hulking, mysterious janitor squatting in the backrooms of the mall. The janitor wants to turn Richard into one of his mannequins for company. Richard must escape the mall before plastic is all he will ever see.
If you love horror that lingers in your head long after the lights come up, then this film is for you! Plastophobia is built around unforgettable, spine-tingling images and moments that stick. The horror community has only grown stronger over the years. What once lived in niche forums and late-night cable now thrives across streaming platforms, TikTok edits, and YouTube breakdowns. Horror fans aren’t just watching anymore, you’re dissecting, remixing, sharing, and championing the films you adore.
If you’re drawn to liminal spaces, vaporwave aesthetics, analog horror, or the eerie vibes of creepypastas, you’ll feel right at home here. The internet has changed how we experience fear. What used to spread through word of mouth now travels instantly, building communities around unsettling images and strange stories. Whether you grew up wandering shopping malls in your youth or discovered them through “dead mall” videos online, this film taps into that shared memory of the beauty, the emptiness, and the quiet dread of spaces in transition. If you gravitate towards themes of loneliness, change, and mortality, this film will resonate with you.
When you contribute through Seed & Spark, you’re not just backing a horror short, you’re helping us bring it to life the right way. Your support goes directly toward feeding and sustaining a hardworking cast and crew and securing an abandoned or defunct mall location that gives the film its authenticity. The remaining funds ensure a smooth post-production process: immersive sound design, an engrossing edit, and a haunting original score. This is a tight, carefully designed budget focused entirely on delivering a polished, visually striking, and genuinely unsettling film!
The original seed of Plastophobia came from a nightmare I had one night. I was completely alone in a desolate mall, being chased by a mysterious, giant man with his hair obscuring his face. The image struck such a deep nerve that I woke up in a sweat. I immediately wrote it down, and when I woke up the next morning, I was convinced it should be my next project.
The dream and its setting weren’t far removed from my waking life. I’ve always had a strange fascination with abandoned malls, and with Muzak, the easy-listening jazz that once echoed through their speakers. As I explored
the concept of Plastophobia, I began to see my own fears of being forgotten amid the rapid technological changes reshaping society and art.
Change is inevitable, yet often difficult. As these physical shopping destinations close their doors and online shopping dominates, I wanted to preserve the essence of what these spaces once meant to people through film. We are witnessing the twilight years of these dying, classic retail meccas, and Plastophobia is my way of memorializing them.
As the writer, director, producer, and actor portraying the security guard, my goal is to capture the uncanny, surreal tone of that dream, along with the unease of being in a place you shouldn’t be and the scares surrounding it. The film draws inspiration from the lonely atmosphere of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse, the dread of Bradley Parker’s Chernobyl Diaries (total worldwide gross $38 million against a budget of $1 million), and the escalating intensity of Takashi Miike’s Audition.
At its core, Plastophobia stems from the haunted house subgenre of horror, but focuses on more human elements, filtered through a surreal, dreamlike logic reminiscent of the films of David Lynch and the horror work of Lucio Fulci. Moving beyond live-action cinema, Plastophobia also draws inspiration from the reality-bending atmosphere of the anime Perfect Blue. It further pulls from video games such as the uncanny aesthetic of Silent Hill 3 and the isolating experience of Dead Rising when the mall is empty of zombies. Like Chernobyl Diaries, the location itself becomes a character, exploring themes of change alongside Richard and the janitor.
Once we have a finished film, we intend to submit it to horror festivals such as Fantasia, Screamfest, Brooklyn Horror Festival, Sitges, and Fantastic Fest. These festivals have strong reputations among the horror community, providing valuable opportunities for exposure. After its festival run, the plan is to release the film on Alter, a YouTube channel that
curates horror narratives for audiences on the internet.
If you’ve made it this far, we want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to explore our Seed & Spark campaign. We are passionate and excited to bring Plastophobia to life, and your support, whether through a contribution or by sharing the campaign to help us reach more people, would mean the world to us. Thank you for being part of this journey!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production (Crew)
Costs $4,000
We would like to ensure that everyone who works on this project is fairly compensated.
Production Gear
Costs $4,000
To ensure the correct tone and atmosphere for the film, we need to have all the correct equipment.
Production (Art)
Costs $2,000
In a film where a man is haunted by mannequins, we need an army of them, and on top of that we need set design elements that reflect 2002.
Production (Location)
Costs $6,000
We have already secured a closed down mall which would be the perfect location for the film, we just need permits.
Logistics/Food
Costs $2,000
We need to ensure that everyone involved in this production is well fed throughout its entirety.
Post Production
Costs $1,000
To cover the VFX needed for the film.
Contingency Fee
Costs $1,000
5% Contingency to make sure that any unexpected thing that may come up will not stop us.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Maximilian Schmidt - Writer/Director/Producer
Maximilian Schmidt is a writer and director whose work explores the macabre corners of human nature. Horror has been embedded in his creative DNA from an early age, shaping his voice as a filmmaker. With multiple award-winning horror shorts to his name like Everythingeater and Bigger/Better/Harder, Maximilian continues to push the boundaries of the genre, telling grounded, unsettling stories that center on outsiders, “freaks", and the darker truths of humanity.
Zach Chaloux - Producer
Zach Chaloux is a producer from Atlanta, Georgia, who has been living in LA for three years. His current role is as a producer at Voice and Script International, the world's biggest dubbing studio, where for Netflix he’s worked on dozens of horror films from all over the world. With this experience, he has found an appreciation for the liminal horror storytelling, which has been huge in cultures all around the world like Japan, Korea and Germany. It's the kind of horror that really sits with you long after you’ve turned it off. Plastophobia captures that feeling.
Walter Diaz - Cinematographer
Walter Diaz is a Mexican-American cinematographer and writer whose work explores dark realities infused with optimistic surreality. Born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, Walter brings an authentic perspective to his art, deeply inspired by his heritage. Influenced by rock and metal of the late 90s and early 2000s, he incorporates a strong sense of rhythm and depth in his visual narratives. With a BFA from Art Center College of Design, Walter has crafted a career in short films, documentaries, and commercials. Known for pushing the creative boundaries, he creates thoughtful, forward-thinking stories that draw viewers into immersive worlds of darkness and hope.
Rajarajeshwari “Rj” Ragampudi - Production Designer
Rajarajeshwari “Rj” Ragampudi is a Los Angeles–based production designer with a background in architecture, trained in India and holding an MFA in Production Design from the American Film Institute. Her work treats cinematic space as a narrative and emotional force, grounded in architectural rigor and a commitment to story and character. She served as production designer on the AFI thesis film Killer of Men which is currently on its festival run, and has since designed narrative projects, centered on empathy and collaboration. Rj was an AFI exhibitor at UCLA Design Showcase West 2025, a 2025 Telluride Filmlab participant, and is a part of Issa Rae’s ColorCreative Find Your People Cohort 2025. Her recent work includes the award-winning short Egg-secution, which was nominated for Best Production Design at the Days of the Dead Film Festival and her first independent feature, set to release in 2026.
Emmalani Howe - Special Effects Makeup Artist
Emmalani Howe is an award-winning Special Effects Makeup Artist driven by a deep passion for transformation and storytelling. With three years of experience in the industry, she specializes in creating immersive, visually striking looks that blur the line between reality and imagination. Her work is rooted in precision, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of elevating every project she touches.