John Waters, eat your heart out! Inspired by the writer and director’s own battle with endometriosis, Brooke H. Cellars’s debut feature is a bold, fun, and—at times—psychedelic look into the comedy and horror of menstruation. With a heavy influence by the mid-century films of John Waters, THE CRAMPS: A Period Piece manages to both look like it’s a dusty VHS discovery from the back of a thrift store, while still presenting a narrative that feels important and empowering today. To explore how Cellars and her team achieved such a nostalgic and entertaining aesthetic, we spoke with Cellars about her horror filmmaking journey. We also sought her advice for those looking to create their own Fantastic Fest-worthy shorts and features.NFS: How did you first get into writing and directing, and what is your background as a filmmaker?Brooke H. Cellars: I grew up around stories. My dad was a writer. He wrote Cajun children’s books that were kind of like Cajun superhero comics, and he always said he knew one of his five kids would end up being a writer. He was right, and it was me. Though he wanted me to write Cajun stories, I was never interested in that. I was always drawn to the weird stuff. Horror movies were my jam. I was the weird kid, of course. Surprise! I started writing horror stories when I was really young and even won awards for them in grade school.My two younger brothers and I basically lived at the video store....
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday