The Babka

Once the game begins there’s no going back!!

An illegal halloween rave turns into a nightmare when Zee and her friends discover an eerie, long forgotten game.

A spine-chilling tale of Zee who dares to play an old mysterious game and call on 'The Babka'.
Zee meets up with some of her friends at a Halloween fancy dress party, in an old abandoned Magdalene laundry. Zee has other worries but she won’t let that get in the way of having some fun. Egged on by Jay, a ghost hunter tourist who shares more with the group about the nefarious history of the place, a work house for unmarried mothers in the 1900's.
Tension mounts as another party goer leads the group further into the haunted building.
The Babka is a tale of atmospheric dread with weaving a story that will haunt you long after the credits disappear.

  • Michael Jenkins
    Director
    Pickney
  • Michael Jenkins
    Writer
    Pickney
  • Bex Rose
    Producer
    Pickney
  • Sheney Arscott
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 24, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Michael Jenkins

Michael Jenkins, a writer and director for film and TV, passionately views film as a tool for change and understanding. Named among Bristol’s top 100 most influential people in the BME Power List 2018, he has earned multiple awards, including two RTS West awards in 2018 and 2021.

His short film "PICKNEY," backed by BFI, was an HBO short film quarter-finalist and won an audience award at the American Black Film Festival in 2021. Currently, Michael is a writer in residence at 5 Acts Productions, an ITV Studios label and co-artistic director of the Bristol School of Acting.

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Director Statement

Writing and directing is a journey into the infinite world of our collective human experience. It's a way to explore, understand, and connect with the plethora of faces of life. I believe in the power of stories to reveal our deeper truths and create empathy.

Since a child I have been captivated by the uncanny, the eerie intersection where the familiar and the unfamiliar, exist together. In my writing I focus on crafting intense, atmospheric settings that amplify that sense of unease, exploring how characters grapple with both internal and external demons reflecting the fear that we all bear.

The Babka takes place in an abandoned Magdalene laundry from the Victorian era used as a workhouse for unmarried or promiscuous women. Working with the amazing actors from The Bristol School of Acting I wrote a piece that I wanted to be relatable but also incorporate a not so well-known historical travesty.

I was also heavily influenced by the Polish hide and seek game, Ciuciubabka, a game which spins you into the unknown.