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The Cryptid Tapes

After "happening upon" a camcorder in the woods of Midcoast Maine, Bigfoot and her ragtag crew of fellow cryptids shoot a documentary to reclaim their narratives.

  • Abby Alleyne Brooke
    Director
  • Sophie Fleur de Bruijn
    Writer
  • Sophie Fleur de Bruijn
    Producer
  • Abby Alleyne Brooke
    Producer
  • Henry Sheeran
    Producer
  • Sophie Fleur de Bruijn
    Key Cast
    "Bigfoot"
  • Andrew Cawley
    Key Cast
    "Mothman"
  • Rachel Horwitz
    Key Cast
    "Goatwoman"
  • Aidan Hart
    Key Cast
    "Dover Demon"
  • Henry Sheeran
    Key Cast
    "Cade Blanchett"
  • Mahayla Laurence
    Key Cast
    "Eleanor Hemlock"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 29, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    9,690 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    miniDV tape, Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Abby Alleyne Brooke

Abby Alleyne Brooke is a filmmaker and playwright based in Brooklyn, NY. She loves experimenting with and blending genres, especially horror, comedy, and fantasy. She seeks to tell stories about thorny, complex women and girls, explore unusual worlds and subcultures, and grapple with the relationship between humans and the environment.

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Director Statement

When my friend and collaborator Sophie asked me if I'd be interested in directing a short film she had written, the first thing I said was, "I don't get out of bed for less than 500k, plus 20% of box office and merch, take it or leave it". She said she couldn't pay me anything, but I would get free food during the shoot, and she'd let me hang out at her apartment sometimes and pet her earless cat, Josie, while we worked on the script. I said, you got a deal, sister!
Okay, what actually happened is that Sophie vaguely floated the idea that I might direct something she'd written, and because she is the funniest writer I know, I immediately jumped on the opportunity and forced her to commit to letting me direct a mockumentary version of a brilliant sitcom pilot she'd written about a bunch of cryptids living in a commune in the woods.
I had read it several months prior and found it to be a heartwarming and hilarious monster mash, sitting in that precise intersection of spooky and sweet that I've loved since I was a Tim Burton-, Guillermo del Toro- obsessed preteen. Sophie’s idea of turning the lens to reveal the inner humanity of classic American monsters of urban legend struck a chord deep within my Halloween-obsessed little soul. Together, we re-imagined it as a short- form mockumentary and The Cryptid Tapes was born.
The Cryptid Tapes rides the line between feverishly hilarious and genuinely skin-scrawling. It will have the cinema verité feel of a Christopher Guest mockumentary, the jump-scares of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, and the relentlessly hopeful heart of PARKS AND REC. It will be weird, it will be raunchy, and hopefully it will make you pause to wonder, "what's that behind that bush?" the next time you go for a walk in the woods.