Private Project

COULROPHOBIA

When Nick's wife Grace vanishes without a trace, he is left with nothing but mounting gambling debts and a recurring nightmare: Grace standing beneath a streetlight, her face concealed by a grotesque clown mask that seems to pulse with its own sinister life. Desperate for answers and cash, Nick pitches his story to "San Diego After Dark," a late-night podcast specializing in urban mysteries. But as the hosts dig into his case, they uncover disturbing connections between Grace's disappearance, Nick's debts, and the masked figure haunting his sleep. With each episode, the boundary between nightmare and reality dissolves. The mask knows things only Nick could know. His memories shift and contradict. And as the podcast audience grows hungrier for answers, Nick must confront a devastating possibility: that he is not the victim of this story, but its architect. In this claustrophobic psychological thriller, guilt manifests as horror, and the truth wears a painted smile.

  • Christopher White
    Director
    Echoes of Vengeance
  • Christopher White
    Writer
    Echoes of Vengeance
  • Ellie Donaldson
    Writer
  • Christopher White
    Producer
    Echoes of Vengeance
  • Ray Gauger
    Producer
  • ConRoy Smith
    Key Cast
    "Nick Tesi"
  • Grace Harrah
    Key Cast
    "Grace Tesi , Clara , Clown 3 "
  • Emerald Gordon Wulf
    Key Cast
    "Clown Contortionist"
    The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
  • Holly Hood
    Key Cast
    "Podcast Host 1"
  • Parker Heath
    Key Cast
    "Podcast Host 2"
  • Nahome Simeneh
    Key Cast
    "The Hung Walker"
  • Deanna Rowlan
    Key Cast
    "Leah"
  • Abigail Plomondon
    Key Cast
    "Lily"
  • Johnny Guzman
    Key Cast
    "Podcast Clown "
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Horror:
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 27, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    8K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Los Angeles 48 Hour Film Project "Best of the Fest"
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 27, 2024
    North America
    Best Trailer
  • Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival
    Brampton,
    Canada
    September 6, 2025
    International Premiere
    Finalist for Best Short Film at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival 2025
  • Night of Shorts
    Milano,
    Italy
    June 30, 2025
    International Premiere
    Award for Best Movie Poster and Official Selection at the Night of Shorts 2025
  • Indie Short Fest
    Los Angeles
    United States
    June 29, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Honorable Mention for Best Horror short and Best Sound Design and Official Selection at the Indie Short Fest June 2025
  • San Diego International Film Festival
    San Diego
    United States
    October 17, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection San Diego International Film Festival 2025
  • Los Angeles Lift Off Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 21, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2025
  • Highlands Horror Film Fest
    Highlands
    United States
    October 4, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection Highlands Horror Film Fest 2025
  • RED MOVIE AWARDS
    REIMS
    France
    May 15, 2026
    International Premiere
    Official Selection RED MOVIE AWARDS 2025
  • San Diego Film Week
    San Diego
    United States
    November 8, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection San Diego Film Week 2025
Distribution Information
  • TERRORVERSE™ Studios
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
  • BIGBOY PRODUCTIONS
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights, Internet, Theatrical
Director Biography - Christopher White

Christopher White is the Creative Director of BIGBOY Productions and a filmmaker recognized for crafting psychologically complex narratives under intense production constraints. His breakthrough came with Coulrophobia, which earned Best of the Fest Trailer at the 48-Hour Film Project LA, where he transformed a two-day deadline into a showcase of atmospheric horror and emotional authenticity. Since that success, White has been selected for numerous film festivals and has completed three additional 48-hour projects, each demonstrating his signature approach of merging visual precision with performance-driven storytelling. White's work explores how genre cinema can illuminate deeper truths about trauma, identity, and the masks people wear in everyday life. His films prioritize psychological tension over superficial scares, creating experiences that resonate long after the credits roll. As both a director and creative leader, White has built a reputation for delivering festival-quality work that challenges conventional boundaries of independent filmmaking.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Coulrophobia began in the pressure cooker of the 48-Hour Film Project, where instinct and collaboration must override perfectionism. That experience taught me that meaningful horror does not require endless resources, only clarity of vision and trust between cast and crew. The film uses the horror framework to investigate how personal trauma calcifies into recurring nightmares and how the masks we present to the world can become prisons we cannot escape.

My approach prioritizes atmosphere and psychological depth over jump scares because genuine unease comes from recognizing uncomfortable truths about ourselves. The film's award-winning trailer demonstrated that even within severe time constraints, disciplined storytelling and layered performances can create work that commands attention. Since Coulrophobia, I have continued testing these principles across multiple festival selections and three subsequent 48-hour productions, refining my ability to distill complex emotional landscapes into visceral cinematic experiences.
For programmers and funders evaluating this project,

Coulrophobia represents more than a calling card. It is evidence of a working methodology that transforms limitations into creative advantages and proof that horror, when executed with intention, can be both commercially viable and artistically substantive. The question I continue asking through my work is not simply how to frighten audiences, but why certain fears persist and what they reveal about the human condition.