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The Angel

A pioneer folk horror. Two plural wives receive a mysterious visitation amidst the blood red stone of Southern Utah.

  • Barrett Burgin
    Director
    A Scout is Kind, Java Jive, CRYO, The Next Door
  • Jessica Burgin
    Director
    El Moño, The Messengers, Holy Night
  • Daniel Yen Tu
    Writer
    The Third Wife, '93 Castrol
  • J Celene Anderson
    Producer
    Mountainhead, Fallout, Horizon: An American Saga, CRYO, The Next Door
  • Doug Jones
    Key Cast
    "Angel"
    Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy
  • Tatum Langton
    Key Cast
    "The First Wife"
    American Crime Story, Grey's Anatomy, Mythica: Stormbound
  • Jessica Staples
    Key Cast
    "The Second Wife"
    He Never Left, Horizon: An American Saga
  • Edwin Modlin II
    Key Cast
    "Husband"
    Westworld, Yesteryear, We Are Men
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 24, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • FilmQuest
    Provo, Utah
    United States
    October 28, 2024
    North American Premiere
    Nominated for Best Utah Short, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Costume Design
  • Zions Indie Film Fest
    Orem, Utah
    United States
    February 27, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Horrific Hope
    Winchester, Virginia
    United States
    April 11, 2025
    Virginia Premiere
    Best Film Nominee
  • Desertscape
    St George, Utah
    United States
    April 17, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Castle Rock
    Castle Rock, Colorado
    United States
    April 11, 2025
    Nominated for Best Midnight Club, Best Picture
  • Kanab Film & Music Festival
    Kanab, Utah
    United States
    May 2, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Chicago Horror Film Festival
    Chicago, Illinois
    United States
    May 16, 2025
    Midwestern Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Fear No Film Fest
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    United States
    June 20, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Chattanooga Film Festival
    Chattanooga, TN
    United States
    June 20, 2025
    Tennessee Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Indy Shorts International Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    July 25, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Gen Con Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    August 1, 2025
    Official Selection
  • HorrorFest International Film Festival
    St George, Utah
    United States
    September 19, 2025
    Nominated for Best Utah Short
  • Red Rock Film Festival
    Cedar City, Utah
    United States
    September 25, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Fright Lake Horror Film Festival
    West Valley Utah
    October 4, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Haunted House FearFest
    Virtual Festival
    October 6, 2025
    Best Paranormal Short, Best Cinematography
  • Eerie Horror Fest
    Eire, PA
    United States
    October 11, 2025
    North Eastern Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Screamfest® Horror Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 12, 2025
    California Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Knoxville Horror Film Festival
    Knoxville, TN
    United States
    October 17, 2025
    Winner of Palm d'Gore (Best Short Film), Best Direction
  • Terror in the Bay Film Festival
    Ontario
    Canada
    October 18, 2025
    Canadian Premiere
    Best Cinematography, Nominated for Best Atmosphere, Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actress
  • Irvington Halloween Festival
    Indianapolis
    United States
    October 21, 2025
    Official Selection
  • London Breeze
    London
    United Kingdom
    October 21, 2025
    Official Selection
  • KORK International Film Festival
    Istanbul
    October 25, 2025
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    October 27, 2025
    United Kingdom Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Yellowstone International Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    November 18, 2025
    Asian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Soho Horror Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 21, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Romford Horror Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    February 19, 2026
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • ALTER
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Barrett Burgin, Jessica Burgin

Jessica Burgin has worked as a producer on major film and ad brands such as HBO, 5&2 Studios, BYUtv, and LG. Most recently, she was the production coordinator on ARTIFACT WAR, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival. Jessica is currently a Line Producer for Big Slate Media in Knoxville, TN. She has been a key player on every project produced by Burgindie, and THE ANGEL is her directorial debut.

Barrett Burgin is an award-winning writer and director. While still in college he shot and sold his first feature film, “CRYO” to Saban Films and was featured on ScreenRant and Comic Book Resources. It was selected and won multiple awards at notable genre festivals, including Cinequest, FilmQuest, Flickers' Vortex, and Blood in the Snow. Barrett has also made several well-received short films, including THE NEXT DOOR, A SCOUT IS KIND, and JAVA JIVE.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film is a Mormon pioneer folk horror story. It is the only one of its kind, exploring the obscure lore of a peculiar religious movement rooted in time and place.

Horror is a genre that is continually in need of fresh and frightening concepts. Our film mines the mystic folk doctrines of the Mormon settlers to portray a demonology never before depicted on screen, brought to life by the magnificent Doug Jones (SHAPE OF WATER, PAN'S LABYRINTH). We are uniquely qualified to tell this story, as both of us are direct descendants of that culture. We also worked with wonderful collaborators, such as our Sundance-decorated Director of Photography, Oscar Ignacio Jiménez (THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS, I HAVE NO TEARS AND I MUST CRY).

THE ANGEL serves as a proof-of-concept for an award winning feature screenplay, THE THIRD WIFE, demonstrating our craftsmanship and storytelling capabilities to investors and distributors. THE THIRD WIFE has received distribution interest from recognizable industry partners and was spotlighted by the Sundance Institute in 2024.

This story is deeply personal to us. It is a wrestle with certainty, spiritual deception, and the complex power dynamics fundamental to our heritage. After careful market research and passionate craftsmanship, we have every confidence in the originality and mass appeal of our full story, and hope THE ANGEL will help walk you into this world.