Set in a rural community in the Pacific Northwest, Slush is a visceral psychedelic horror film that follows Frankie (a travel nurse in her 30s) as she reunites with her estranged father and a community that’s shunned her family for years.

Long ridiculed for her mother’s association with witchcraft, Frankie suffered a string of unfortunate events, including the mysterious death of her mother, which led to her exit from her hometown. Over a decade later, her return is long overdue as she attempts to rekindle her relationship with her father and celebrate the wedding of her dear childhood friend Skye.

Frankie takes in Skye’s bachelor party, where most are enjoying a medley of psychedelics, which leads to an unwanted but expected encounter with her toxic ex-boyfriend Brett. Meanwhile, with Frankie immersed in wedding ‘festivities,’ her father’s sobriety wavers as he battles his own demons.

Their paths eventually cross in an explosive confrontation that puts this father-daughter duo in a position that will forever alter both of their lives. Together, forever.

Slush is set in present-day Washington State which offers a plethora of gorgeous locations including various watering holes, endless mountainous backdrops and wide open spaces.

WHY THIS FILM

"Home is where the heart is” and that’s true for a lot of people, a lot of the time. On the other hand, the concept of home changes as we move through the various stages of our lives, and some homes can stir up feelings of grief, resentment, and fear. Whether or not it is because traumatic experiences and memories associated with that physical place can continue to linger, returning home can be incredibly difficult. It can be difficult even with the lack of trauma.

Slush explores negative associations with “home sweet home” and fractured family and community dynamics that many of us have experienced in some way or another. We’ve all had those awkward moments, difficult moments with people we love. Or maybe we’ve had to leave somewhere we weren’t ready to leave, or stay somewhere we didn’t want to stay.

Slush confronts our past head-on and taps into the need to survive and thrive. With strong themes of vengeance, magic, and melancholy, we follow Frankie as she unleashes her inner power, her inner monster, and runs head-first toward the monsters that have wreaked havoc on her and her family.

This film is also about the importance of family and forgiveness, acceptance, and belonging. Kyle, Frankie's father, is her only living relative. He’s all she’s got, and their reunion is all about catharsis and healing through any means necessary, no matter the cost.

We are producing this short film as a teaser for a feature-length version and we need your help. Please visit the TEAM page to learn more about our cast and crew and check out past work!

OUR CHARACTERS

FRANKIE

Frankie is a travel nurse in her 30s who left home after high school following the tragic death of her mother in a mysterious fire. Her family has long been dubbed outcasts as rumors run rampant of her mother’s association with witchcraft and adultery, even as far as claims that her mother was involved with Frankie’s ex’s father before her death. When Frankie returns to her rural hometown for her best friend’s wedding, she reconnects with the toxic community that shunned her then and continues to dehumanize her at present.

KYLE

Kyle (50s) is Frankie’s father. After his wife’s death and his daughter‘s disappearance, he was left alone to fend for himself. He‘s spent most of his life drunk and on pills and chooses to keep to himself since the town has shunned him for his association with his wife, who many thought was a witch, and his daughter who may have inherited her dark ways. When Frankie finally returns, he has just celebrated a year clean and sober.

SKYE

Skye (30s) is Frankie’s childhood best friend. He’s always known there was something special about Frankie because he’s the only one she ever felt comfortable being herself with. When Frankie left town after her mother’s death, he never heard from her, and though he loved her deeply, he learned to move on. He’s now getting married and Frankie’s back in town—because of him, and he knows it—-but he can’t shake the uneasy feeling that his happy wedding weekend is going to end in disaster.

BRETT

Brett (30s) is Frankie’s high school boyfriend. The cool kid, everyone looked up to him, and still does. He doesn’t have much going for him now, however, as his anger and daddy issues have led him to spend more time in bars and causing trouble than anything else. A true masochist raised by a father who taught him that women are there to serve and nothing else, Brett‘s misogyny runs deep and he can’t see through his own darkness.

DUSTIN

Dustin (17) is the youngest of the town’s ruling family and the brother of Frankie’s ex-boyfriend Brett. Frankie and Dustin’s family have battled for years against one another as rumors swirled of Frankie’s involvement with his father prior to her death. There is deep-rooted anger and resentment towards Frankie and her family for their allegations that his father had something to do with Frankie’s mother’s death, yet they know he did.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

I grew up in a small town, and while I have plenty of great memories, I also hold many unfavorable experiences deep down that made it hard for me to want to be there if I didn’t have to be. Always running from what I thought were everyone else’s problems, it took me a long time to understand my own personal contributions to my discomfort and negative associations with home.

I’ve had to dig deep inside, and after achieving sobriety and confronting my own issues, I was able to get much closer with those I love. This film is a love letter to my family in a lot of ways, and while they may not love horror films as much I do, we all show our love differently. :) Slush is raw, heartfelt realism with explosive, cathartic horror elements, so we’ve got a little bit of something for everyone!

At the heart of Slush is this sticky relationship between Kyle and Frankie, which is a very meaningful thing for me to explore as it’s influenced by my relationship with my own dad (who is wonderful, but we’ve had a journey). Kyle and Frankie’s journey in Slush reflects on the importance of vulnerability—something that’s not easy to learn for a lot of us. With a lot of time and a lot of work, I was able to understand that I had more in common with my dad than I ever realized and I’m grateful as ever for our relationship today! Shifting perspectives and vulnerability got me there, and the trek has been worth it.

And the more I think about this film, the more I understand how I’ve dealt with confrontation in the past. Of course, the town I grew up in isn’t at fault for my issues, but it was always easy to blame my upbringing and my environment. Ultimately, it has been my own choices that have driven my growth and healing, similar to how Frankie’s choices will help her traverse her journey to acceptance and healing. And I think you’ll fall in love with her as much we have, flaws and all.

LOOK AND FEEL

I'm excited to reunite with cinematographer Sheila Altamirano on Slush after having had the pleasure of collaborating with her on my last two short films Diabla and Volition. Slush is all about the power of a location—home—and our association with this specific place. Nature plays a huge role in our film's aesthetics mixed with the hallucinatory POVs caused by the psychedelic effects of the party favors and supernatural elements our characters indulge in throughout the film.

We'll be filming this with a wide, objective lens using deep focus and long takes. Frankie feels small in this grandiose space but gravitates toward its natural beauty. We want to immerse viewers in the lush, sprawling landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. A lot of this film takes place outdoors, and we'll highlight the region's gorgeous lakes and fluidity alongside the epic mountain views. Our color palette consists of natural hues for our daylight scenes mixed with vivid neon & jewel tones for our nighttime adventure, culminating in a marriage of both for our explosive finale sequence.

We're visually inspired by the marriage of distortion, beauty, and darkness in films such as Kate and Laura Mulleavy's Woodshock (2017) and Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool (2023). Tone comps include Jean Marc-Vallée's Sharp Objects, Claire Denis's High Life (2018), and as always, the horror-fantasy gem Possession (1981, Andrzej Żuławski). Special mention to one of my favorite father-daughter films Mickey and the Bear (2019, Annabelle Attanasio).

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Here's a look at how our budget breaks down! Your contributions will help us cover the necessary expenses to bring this exciting film to life safely and comfortably including cast/crew expenses, location fees, equipment costs and safety & stunt coordination for our action-packed scenes.



PRODUCTION TIMELINE

THANK YOU!

Thank you for taking the time to read about our project and mission! We are so thankful for contributions of any scale to Slush. If you are interested, here are other ways to support and get involved! 

+ BASED IN WASHINGTON? HELP US ON LOCATION! While filming on location in Seattle, Bellingham and Port Orchard, WA, our biggest needs are meals and lodging for our hard-working cast and crew! And we would love to support local businesses in the process. Have a connection to or own a local hotel, restaurant, or catering business? We'd love to work with you! Please reach out to [email protected].

+ EQUIPMENT RENTALS/DONATIONS - Camera and gear rentals make up a significant portion of our budget. If you have any gear that is available for us to use in the State of Washington we'd be beyond grateful!

+ SHARE OUR CAMPAIGN! Like what you see? Please share our campaign with your network of friends, family, and fellow filmmakers! The more awareness around our project, the more likely we can bring this project to life.