Private Project

The Monkey's Paw

A troubled family is visited by an old friend carrying a dark secret. Based on the short story by W. W. Jacobs.

  • Nicholas Rubino
    Director
    LUCID - Director / Editor
  • Nicholas Rubino
    Writer
  • Andy Taylor
    Producer
  • Luke Walker
    Producer
    THE BALLAD OF EL CANEJO - 1st AD
  • Abigail Mullins
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Jordan Mullins
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Logan Soland
    Key Cast
    "Son"
  • Brayden Thomas
    Key Cast
    "Prospector"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 25, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    14,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.33:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Nicholas Rubino

From a young age, Nicholas has had a strong passion for storytelling, beginning his filmmaking journey when he was only 10 with a camcorder and a slew of homemade projects.

After a series of low budget shorts - where he showcased self-taught skills in cinematography, directing, and editing - Nicholas eventually moved to the advertising industry. Working for international brands, he created high-end mini-documentaries, commercials, a compelling feature length documentary, and several music videos for a diverse collection of bands and artists. In 2023, Nicholas directed the thriller short-film "Lucid" which was selected by three festivals and was nominated for the Best Indie Short at the Cannes World Film Festival, and also edited "Voices of the West", a feature length documentary about NDN cowboys that won the Telly award for Best Documentary Editing.

Driven by his love for the craft, Nicholas has continued to evolve his style and hone in on his unique voice. With THE MONKEY'S PAW, he has taken another step towards accomplishing a cinematic vision and someday hopes to direct a narrative feature film.

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Director Statement

On two bitterly cold and long nights in December, the realization of how ambitious this project was began setting in with not just me, but the entire cast and crew. The story called for deeper moments, more intense production design, and longer hours than we originally had anticipated. It was going to require a whole lot of collaboration and creative problem solving.

When I first wrote the script, I was completely infatuated with the central concept of the story: the mystery of desire. I thought this adaptation would be a simple vehicle to explore such an idea. "Simple" was maybe too polite of a word, but I think along the way, we genuinely did explore the concepts that were only on paper before.

What I came to learn through the process of making this film was what my deepest desire is, a desire that has never been stronger: that is to tell stories, and even more than that, to connect with people. The journey of creating a film is so much more than the finished product - it's genuinely having fun on set, becoming friends with people who were once strangers, and making everyone feel apart of a family. We all want to make something great, but the "something" that is great is such a small part at the very end of the road. It's the journey itself that is the reward.

In the end, that's what I'm most proud of with this short film. Of course I hope the drama of the film is palpable, the story is unexpected, and the themes are left scratching in the back of the mind of the audience. But above all, I hope that the connection we had in working together behind and in front of the camera bleeds through the images.