The Bleeding

A young woman begins to bleed from her mouth, attracting a sinister force.

Starring Devin Feheley & Jeremy Neal
Written & Directed by Katherine Oostman
Produced by Katherine Oostman & Terry Beck
Cinematography — Layne Inselman
Production Design — Christina Dial
1st AD — David Kroonen
Sound Design & Mix — Kelly Oostman
Music — Alex Winkler
Edited — Katherine Oostman
Set Lighting Technician — Scott Marino
Key Grip — Nick Markart
Sound Mixer & Boom Operator — Joey Newfield

With this proof of concept, I wanted to tell a story about a young woman coming of age through a genre lens. What starts out as a girl getting to kiss her crush for the first time turns into a horrifying nightmare that represents the loss of innocence. Yes, this piece is also a metaphor for a young girl getting her period and, while I realize that’s not a “sexy” conversation topic, it is one of the hallmarks of becoming a woman that has a certain stigma to it. As a result, it can sometimes be a horrific, lonely experience. We witness that intimately with our protagonist. The feature script this short represents dives even deeper into my version of a modern fairytale in which a monster preys upon a young woman’s innocence, capturing themes of a society viewing girls as sexual objects from too young an age. With, of course, more shape-shifting spookiness.