Private Project

The Devil Inside Me

A young woman’s concealed desire haunts her in dreams as voices of her past repeat a sinister warning. “Sins of the flesh let the devil inside.” When she chooses pleasure over fear, the devil does come…and so does she.

This is a dark tale confronting the modern dating scene by using absurd comedy, a moderate level of cheese and some not-so-subtle call outs to the habits of men while exploring the themes of female desire, the shame surrounding it and the struggle to escape the intoxicating allure of toxic relationships.

  • Sarah Elizabeth Uftring
    Director
  • Sarah Elizabeth Uftring
    Writer
  • Sarah Elizabeth Uftring
    Producer
  • Bears Rebecca Fonte
    Producer
  • Lori Kovacevich
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
  • Zack Scott
    Key Cast
    "Satan"
  • Joseph Paz
    Key Cast
    "Boyfriend"
  • Samantha McDanel
    Voice Over
  • Stevie Marceaux
    Voice Over
  • Zach Morrison
    Director of Photography
  • Zachary T Scott
    Editor
  • Mars Williamson
    Digital Colorist
  • Skyler Milianta
    Makeup Artist
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Horror, Comedy, Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 22 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 15, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sarah Elizabeth Uftring

Sarah Uftring is a writer and director living in Austin, TX. The Devil Inside Me is her directorial debut.

Sarah has lived many career lives, including: door-to-door salesman, leasing agent, photographer, housekeeper, flight attendant, and traveling automotive spokesperson. She believes that to tell a good story, you'd better live a few first.

Sarah grew up in small-town middle America, where even the cheerleaders dabbled in meth. She avoided the cheerleading but couldn't dodge the meth. Sarah was able to leave all that behind, but many aren't so lucky. A town like this is built on inter-generational trauma and everyone has their preferred mode of survival. Sarah survived by seeking to understand those around her. The people in her life became characters to deconstruct, and the ability to see her abusers through a sympathetic lens became her safety net.

Sarah melds the experiences of her past and unique perspective into powerful, female-driven films.

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Director Statement

The conceptualization of this film began with a question asked while a few friends shared a bottle of champagne marked with 666. We'd just dedicated the bottle to the Church of Satan as a thank you for their ongoing support of women's rights. "What's your 48 hour film idea? Go!" Well, I had just been ghosted by someone I'd met at a party dressed as Satan so what came out of my mouth was the original concept for what would become The Devil Inside Me.

The film is a vent piece exploring the allure of toxic relationships and my own failed attempts to find the same exhilarating passion within the confines of a healthy one. It playfully calls out some less talked about but commonly accepted behaviors of men.

The film's main goal is to allow women one good collective sigh, then a little shared laughter to console our shared disappointment.