Phantoms

Phantoms is primarily a film about the emotional pain that can be caused by an abusive or toxic relationship. It was initially conceived as a horror short, but once the story and the arc of the characters were in place, it became more of a psychological drama, focusing on the anguish and confusion of our main character, Saira, following a traumatic relationship with her partner Francesca.

There are other themes that we wanted to explore within the story – mental health issues that can arise from such difficult relationships, especially those related to maternal and post-natal complications that can leave the sufferer very isolated and disorientated. We also wanted the all-female cast to be ethnically diverse, partially to address the stigma of LGBTQ relationships amongst minority groups, but also to make the issues relatable, as they are problems that still remain under-represented in these communities. We also felt that there were not enough lead roles available for BAME women, so wanted to create our own.

In terms of the filmmaking, we were influenced by our favourite psychological thrillers – 'Black Swan' and 'Mother!' by Darren Aronofsky, and 'Enemy' by Denis Villeneuve for their unsettling atmosphere and creeping sense of dread. 'Revolutionary Road' and 'Marriage Story' were touchstones for those moments between lovers that can devastate and haunt us. And horror classics like 'Rosemary's Baby', and more recently 'The Babadook' for the way they put us in the unreliable perspective of their main characters and make us suffer with them.

We had a fantastic cast and crew, and our post-production team were exceptionally talented. The sound design and the original score (by Alex Wastnidge and Anabelle Grace Steele respectively) really brought the project to life and gave it depth. With the score specifically, we wanted to create something that felt like a happy memory at first, which then goes in a much darker and more melancholic direction.

We built this film from scratch with a grassroots crowdfunding campaign, and everybody worked incredibly hard on this project, going above and beyond to help complete it. We are eternally grateful to all of them. We hope the finished result does them justice!