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Brothers Beastly

In the bleak isolated tundra, identical twin brothers are trapped in a sinister cannibalistic family dynamic and face psychological descent that fractures their decaying identity, forcing a harrowing confrontation with the bloody shadows of their shared past.

Featuring "The Void's" Aaron Poole in a hypnotizing folktale-dream that reveals a dark reflection within the human psyche, will the beastly cycle be broken?

  • Peter J. Hartsock
    Director
    Optic Nerve
  • Peter J. Hartsock
    Writer
    Optic Nerve
  • Peter J. Hartsock
    Producer
    Optic Nerve
  • Gabriel Romero Acosta
    Producer
    Optic Nerve
  • Aaron Pool
    Key Cast
    "The Brothers"
    The Void, The Empty Man
  • Scott Sweitzer
    Director of Photography
    A Table Is As Good As Nine Lives
  • Justina Hnatowicz
    Production Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Thriller, Psychological
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 5 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Canon
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Peter J. Hartsock

Peter J. Hartsock is a Los Angeles based director and multi-talented filmmaker whose skills include those of producer, writer, cinematographer, editor, set designer, and VFX artist- bringing a total craftsman mindset to his work. Peter is originally from Homer, NY, and gained a BFA in film/animation production from Syracuse University in 2019 where he met many of his collaborators for Brothers Beastly. Since then he has founded Fantasma House, a homegrown midnight movie production company specializing in cult films and music video production. His stories are those of shadow and light, and touch on themes of darkness in the human psyche, our relationship with trauma, gender conventions, and mental health awareness of which he is a firm advocate. He currently works on the production team for Nickelodeon’s hit show SpongeBob SquarePants, where he finds it a refreshing change of pace making people laugh.

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Director Statement

Brothers Beastly is a story that has long been part of my subconscious, simmering and coming into form for the better part of 5 years. It is informed by the folk history and landscape of my home, a reverence for the classical horror and psychological slasher genre, and a passionate advocacy for mental health awareness through storytelling. Mental health has become a global crisis in a post-pandemic world, and this story of a toxic relationship trapped in cycles of abuse– perpetuated by isolation– is more relevant and resonating for audiences than ever before. Through expressionistic and psychological cinematic storytelling, I sought to examine intergenerational familial trauma prevalent in the conventional slasher film with emotional weight, depth, and personal understanding of the topic. My intent with this project was to tell a story about escaping destructive emotional bonds on a literal level while integrating trauma within the self on a metaphorical level – creating a dreamlike Rorschach piece of cinematic storytelling for viewers to reflect upon their own inner beasts, traumas, and triumphs.