Sweetie

Two unexpected trick-or-treaters torment an isolated farmer after he has no treats to offer.

Cast: Tony Manders, Lamissah La-Shontae, Flavia Fazenda.

Directors/Writers/Editors: Ethan Evans & Sean Toshach
Producer: Jess Bartlett
DOP: Robin Niedojadlo
Production Designer: Rebecca Curran-Hughes
Sound Design/VFX: Justin Reader
1st AD: Mary Dodds
1st AC: Peter Hackett
2nd AC: Aubrey Simpson
Gaffer: Alex Farquhar
Wardrobe: Joseph Smith
Make-up: Becky Millington
Script Supervisor: Pablo Brown-Jennett
Production Runner: Sam Oxton
Colourist/Credits Music: Martim Loureiro
Music: Pip Anning
Graphic Designer: Anna Penn

Made during our final year of University, Sweetie was truly a labour of love and an experience like no other. As horror lovers, we built upon and referenced many previous horror tropes, but also wanted to find a way to flip them to explore something new. For example, an old man’s safety is jeopardised by two young girls, when often it is seen as the reverse. When conjuring the idea, we had noticed that British Halloween is rarely seen in film, so we wanted to bring some of the fun, American Halloween festivities to a distinctly British setting. This also meant we got to spend the months of pre-prod absorbed in the Halloween spirit!

We were hugely inspired by supernatural horror films, specifically the work of director James Wan, and Sweetie was our first attempt at capturing the suspense of The Conjuring in a bitesize British version! The approach we took is perfectly captured in a quote by Wan: “I’m a huge fan of tension. I’m a huge fan of suspense. I’m a huge fan of not showing you things and letting your imagination do the rest.” We had so much fun throughout the entire production process, especially when disguising the girls in the background of various scenes – see how many times you can spot them!

– Ethan Evans, Director