Private Project

Spite

Johanna Thayer, newly unemployed and on the brink of losing her girlfriend, returns to the horror of her childhood home in Pittsburgh to handle her late mother Vicky’s estate. The house offers a chance for a fresh start, but strange occurrences at night and unexplained bruises in the morning suggest an energy within the home that still views Johanna as a child in need of discipline. 

Johanna begins to doubt her sanity, especially through the critical eyes of her mother’s naive neighbor, Elena, and her delusional former stepfather, Frank. However, when Elena’s daughter Luna gives Johanna a Kuker doll—a pagan charm for protection against “Evil Spirits”—Johanna finds some comfort. This solace is short-lived after a troubling phone call with her therapist leads to a painful breakup with her girlfriend Danielle. With nowhere to live, no money, and no support, Johanna is now trapped and helpless, repeating the cycle of her childhood.

Desperate, Johanna doubles her sleeping pill dose, seeking escape from her despair. That night, she is attacked by an unseen force—the Mother—recreating her childhood abuse. As her child-self and adult-shelf struggle between pleading for mercy and fighting back, Johanna finds the strength to resist.

The next morning, Johanna collects her mother’s ashes and begins a slow, symbolic process of feeding them to the neighborhood strays. As Johanna works on rebuilding her childhood bedroom, the view pans to the open door of the mother’s bedroom. SLAM! It’s clear that mother and daughter, equally stubborn and spiteful, will share the house until the end, no matter the cost.



  • Carolynn Cecilia
    Director
    Woodford County, Van Cortlandt, The Test, Boxes
  • Carolynn Cecilia
    Writer
    Spite, Woodford County, Van Cortlandt, UNBOUND
  • Masha King
    Key Cast
    "Johanna Thayer"
    Girls, The Blacklist, Bluebloods, Madam Secretary, Hightown
  • Desireé Abeyta
    Producer
    An Invitation to Tea, Anne
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Psychological Horror, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 25 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    80,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa 35
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Carolynn Cecilia

Carolynn launched her career in film with the SXSW premiere of her David Bowie approved experimental project, UNBOUND. Based on Bowie’s final studio album Blackstar, UNBOUND garnered widespread acclaim and was heavily featured in Rolling Stone, Variety, Pitchfork, and went on to win the Austin Arthouse David Lynch Award. Carolynn and her work with Bowie was later singled out in the books The Complete David Bowie (Nicholas Pegg) and The Age of Bowie (Paul Morely.)

Southern-born and now based in New York City, Carolynn is known for her evocative approach to storytelling and her commitment to pushing boundaries with an often Southern Gothic inclination. Her short film Woodford County won Best Short, Best Cinematography, and Best Actress at the Revolution Me Festival, and Best Actress at the San Antonio Film Festival. Her work has also earned Official Selections and nominations for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Dramatic Short at festivals such as Blackbird Film Festival, Athens Art Festival, Chicago Blow-Up, Astoria Film Festival, YoFi, and more. Her short films Van Cortlandt and Boxes, as well as her directing work on the web series Killing It and the indie pilot Burnout, have helped Carolynn earn a reputation as a unique voice and a risk-taker in the next generation of cinematic storytellers.

Carolynn’s feature directorial debut, Spite, is a psychological horror that delves into mental health and the long-term effects of childhood abuse. Spite was one of the few indie feature films to be granted an Interim Agreement from SAG during the SAG-AFTRA strike and was later awarded a place in Film Independent’s competitive Fiscal Sponsorship program.

As a Script Supervisor of over 8 years, Carolynn has collaborated with visionaries like Janusz Kaminski (Oscar Winning Cinematographer of Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan), Tom Ford (Fashion Designer, Director of A Single Man, Nocturnal Animals), Harry Styles, Sarah Silver, ABC, The History Channel, and more. 

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As adults, we are often expected to "get over" the traumas of our childhood while still existing in the spaces that lead us to feel unprotected. Spite takes this concept literally. What if we returned to the site of our abuse -- to the place where our spiteful abuser recently passed away -- and it was not only a triggering space but a haunted one?

The effects that childhood abuse has on our mental and emotional health as adults merit a deeper conversation, one that Spite contributes to in a provocative and meaningful way. After placing second in a short story competition for NYC Midnight, I chose to adapt Spite for the big screen. The script soon evolved with influences from the unnerving atmospheres and intimate character studies found in films like Saint Maude, Invisible Man, and the cult classic Mommie Dearest.

It is expected in genre narratives that center the male experience to portray male destructive behaviors as warranted and fascinating while leaving female characters to offer a voice of compassion and self-preservation. Spite, however, aims to allow its female protagonist to be just as hostile and unapologetic in the face of aggression, creating an opportunity for its women to be darkly authentic and beautifully feral in the face of trauma.

The creative vision for Spite revolves around constructing an emotionally immersive experience that blurs the line between reality and perception. The film employs a 4:3 aspect ratio to create a constricting, claustrophobic world that mirrors the protagonist's inner turmoil while conservative lighting plays a crucial role in using shadows to add layers of mystery and tension, reflecting the oppressive atmosphere of the narrative.

Spite presents a thought-provoking and lived horror that not only entertains but also challenges the audience to reflect on the destructive power of unresolved trauma. By focusing on a protagonist driven by pain and revenge, the film aims to explore the moral ambiguities and consequences of allowing spite to dictate one's actions. The story unfolds through a series of tense, psychologically charged scenes that build towards a climactic resolution, leaving viewers to ponder the fine line between justice and vengeance.

The horror genre has been attracting audiences ever since the oral tradition of storytelling was born. Spite follows in the footsteps of modern psychological filmmakers like Rose Glass and Jennifer Kent, creating a dialogue around the terror of reality. As the writer and director of Spite, my goal is to give a voice to those who are still sorting through the complexities that surround their own loss of innocence and the valid anger that lives inside of them.