Parasomnia

For this film, I wanted to create a story that dives into what we fear, but ground it with something more tangible; in this case, the loss of a child. It's possibly one of the biggest fears for parents and one of the worst things imaginable. I had my first daughter during the pandemic and it was a harrowing experience trying to keep her safe and healthy. It put a lot of things into perspective even to this day. And now, as a #girldad with two adorable girls, I would be inconsolable if I ever lost one.

One interesting thing I've learned about since becoming a parent is the difference between nightmares and night terrors. My first daughter would scream suddenly in the night and I'd rush to check on her. To my surprise, it only made things worse because she wasn't awake, but rather experiencing a night terror - which is much more violent and, for the lack of a better word, more terrifying than a nightmare. Thankfully, they pass and she becomes her happy little self again. But as a filmmaker, and one with a passion for horror films, I knew I could use these experiences of fear and turn it into something that could be moving and engaging to an audience.

Parasomnia touches on grief and loss, and what those emotions can do to a person who is struggling to move on by personifying them in a malicious, evil presence.