SLUSH
Ashley George
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LOGLINE
Horror Drama Short Film
Laced with magic and melancholy, Slush follows Frankie as she reunites with her estranged father, Kyle, and returns home to a small-town community in the Pacific Northwest that has shunned their family for years. An explosive, psychedelic horror film, Slush explores themes of monstrosity and grief, as this family confronts their collective traumas together.
SYNOPSIS
Set in a rural community in the Pacific Northwest, Slush is a visceral psychedelic horror film that follows Frankie (a travel nurse in her 30s) as she reunites with her estranged father and a community that’s shunned her family for years.
Long ridiculed for her mother’s association with witchcraft, Frankie suffered a string of unfortunate events, including the mysterious death of her mother, which led to her exit from her hometown. Over a decade later, her return is long overdue as she attempts to rekindle her relationship with her father and celebrate the wedding of her dear childhood friend Skye.
Frankie takes in Skye’s bachelor party laced with a medley of acid and mushrooms, which leads to an encounter with her toxic ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, with Frankie immersed in wedding ‘festivities,’ her father’s sobriety wavers as he battles his demons. Their paths cross in an explosive confrontation that puts this father-daughter duo in a position that will forever alter their lives.
The Why. Writer & Director Statement
"Home is where the heart is” and that’s true for a lot of people, a lot of the time. On the other hand, the concept of home changes as we move through the various stages of our lives, and some homes can stir up feelings of grief, resentment, and fear. Whether or not it is because traumatic experiences and memories associated with that physical place can continue to linger, returning home can be incredibly difficult. It can be difficult even with the lack of trauma.
Challenging the assumption of suburban or rural environments as safe havens, Slush explores negative associations with “home sweet home” and fractured family and community dynamics.
Slush confronts our past head-on and taps into the need to survive and thrive. With strong themes of vengeance, magic, and melancholy, we follow Frankie as she unleashes her inner power, her inner monster, and runs head-first toward the monsters that have wreaked havoc on her and her family.
This film is also about the importance of family and forgiveness, acceptance, and belonging. Kyle, Frankie's father, is her only living relative. He’s all she’s got. Slush is for all of the daughters out there who haven’t had a perfect relationship with their fathers. Frankie’s relationship with her father is all about catharsis and healing through any means necessary.
I'm excited to reunite with cinematographer Sheila Altamirano on Slush after having had the pleasure of collaborating with her on my last two short films Diabla and Volition. Slush is all about the power of a location—home—and our association with this specific place. Nature plays a huge role in our film's aesthetics mixed with the hallucinatory POVs caused by the psychedelic effects of the party favors and supernatural elements our characters indulge in throughout the film.
We'll be filming this with a wide, objective lens using deep focus and long takes. Frankie feels small in this grandiose space but gravitates toward its natural beauty. We want to immerse viewers in the lush, sprawling landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. A lot of this film takes place outdoors, and we'll highlight the region's gorgeous lakes and fluidity alongside the epic mountain views. Our color palette consists of natural hues for our daylight scenes mixed with vivid neon & jewel tones for our nighttime adventure, culminating in a marriage of both for our explosive finale sequence.
We're visually inspired by the marriage of distortion, beauty, and darkness in films such as Kate and Laura Mulleavy's Woodshock (2017) and Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool (2023). Tone comps include Jean Marc-Vallée's Sharp Objects, Claire Denis's High Life (2018), and as always, the horror-fantasy gem Possession (1981, Andrzej Żuławski). Special mention to one of my favorite father-daughter films Mickey and the Bear (2019, Annabelle Attanasio).
LOOKBOOK
Ashley George. Writer & Director
ASHLEY GEORGE is a director and producer inspired by unique, socially conscious stories and new perspectives. Ashley’s previous film DIABLA is a female revenge horror set in Mexico City which played dozens of Oscar & BAFTA-qualifying festivals such as Cleveland International, Foyle, Norwich and Cine Huesca as well as fright favorites Fantasia, FilmQuest, Final Girls Berlin & more. DIABLA’s earned awards for Best Short, Best Director, Best Actress (Ruth Ramos), Best Ensemble Cast, Best Script & Best Cinematography. Her latest short film VOLITION is an action thriller shot in Louisville, Kentucky, playing festivals now. Ashley has collaborated on a variety of projects including docuseries (Disney+’s GROWING UP), short films (LODESTAR with James McCaffrey, HOLY WOMAN with Tzadeikis, MOUTHPIECE with Jason Sudeikis, AMERICAN MORNING with Richard Schiff) and live production (Bud Light Dive Bar Tour with Post Malone).
Amy DePaola. Producer
At five feet one inch, AMY DEPAOLA is a producer and filmmaker with tall energy—her work tugs at your heartstrings by tenderizing dark times and uncomfortable moments with colorful humor and bold farce. She focuses on female-driven stories in scripted and unscripted and is a fierce advocate for equity and mentorship within the film and television industry.
She is a 2023 Yes And Laughter Lab Finalist, a 2023 Austin Film Festival Second Rounder, and a 2023 Screencraft and Shore Scripts Comedy TV Pilot Semifinalist. As a filmmaker, Amy’s produced writing and directing credits have garnered several awards and have screened at dozens of film festivals worldwide. She is a current Blackmagic Collective Future Women of TV Fellow.
A member of the Producer's Guild of America and the Television Academy, Amy has produced television, podcasts, and films for networks such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and The CW and with production outlets Participant Media, This Machine Filmworks, XTR, Picturestart, and MRC, to name a few. Ask her about her integral role in Joe Jonas’s first-ever stand-up comedy show.
Amy has an MFA in Film from Emerson College and has studied acting as far and wide as the Moscow Art Theater. However, it was the drama club within her New Jersey public school system where her career took off with roles like “Charlotte, the sluggish daughter,” in "Oliver" and Peggy Tempest in "Gone With The Breeze." She now resides in Los Angeles with her husband and their fluffy pup, where she continues to produce bold comedy films that center on women. She has two features in development and produces under her banner, Pink Among Men Productions Inc.
Emily Sheehan. Producer
A native Pacific Northwesterner, EMILY SHEEHAN is an award-winning producer/writer/director multi-hyphenate who has showcased her work internationally. As of 2024, she wrapped up producing three independent, narrative feature films, THE EVERYTHING POT (ULB, 2023 Los Angeles, CA,) ANY DAY NOW (Tier 0, Boston MA 2022), and BEFORE A WEDDING (ULB, Boston MA, 2023), THE EVERYTHING POT, starring Lisa Edelstein, Gina Torres and James Wolk premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024. Recently, her feature film FREIGHT was recognized by the Austin Film Festival (twice), Screencraft, Scriptation and the PAGE Awards. Her previous film & television projects have included THE DROPOUT, UTOPIA, WATCHMEN and CASTLE ROCK. Learn more about her at runningnakedfilms.com.
Emily Bennett. Actor “Frankie”
EMILY BENNETT is an award-winning TV and film actress who has starred in shows such as The Blacklist, City on a Hill, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Justice. In 2020, Bennett directed her debut feature Alone With You and starred alongside Barbara Crampton in the film. Alone With You was co-directed by DP Justin Brooks and was produced by The White Lotus star Theo James and his co-producer Andrew Corkin. Her second feature film is currently in post and stars Bennett, Larry Fessenden, Toby Poser and others.
Bennett’s recent film credits include Chris Stuckmann's Shelby Oaks (executive produced by Mike Flanagan), Jill Gevargizian's sophomore feature Ghost Game, Jon Delgado’s rom-com Queen of Knives and Jeremiah Kipp's upcoming film The Safety Games. Bennett is a graduate of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (3 year BA program). She is repped by British American Talent for acting and SpectreVision for writing and directing.
Sheila Altamirano. Cinematographer
Cinematographer and director SHEILA ALTAMIRANO graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Artes Cinematográficas ENAC- UNAM in 2017. Since then, she has been working in feature films, short films and TV series both documentary and fiction. She worked as a cinematographer on the feature documentaries “Born Guilty” directed by Diogo Barroso, “Mexican Town” and “Winter Song” by Silvana Lazaro, and the feature film “La Raya” by Yolanda Cruz, currently in post-production, as well as on the award winning short films “Volition” and “Diabla” by Ashley George. Additionally, Sheila worked as a second unit DP on the Amazon mini series “Buenos Rivales” (Good Rivals) and as a co-cinematographer on the upcoming Star + series “Yo soy Rosalía” (I am Rosalia).
Her documentary work has garnered nominations for Ariel and Jose Rovirosa awards. The short films and features in which she has served as a DP have been screened and awarded at festivals such as Cannes Indie Shorts, Huesca FF, FIC Morelia, FIC UNAM, Final Girls Berlin, San Diego Latino FF, Philadelphia Latino FF, Latino FF in Toulouse, Film Quest, Cinema Latinoamericano in Sao Paulo, Kuandu Arts Fest in Taiwan, Fresh Wave in Hong Kong, Festival de Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano in La Habana, FIC Guadalajara, among others. Sheila is also a member of the female collective Apertura DOP.
Brandon Boudreaux. Editor
BRANDON BOUDREAUX began his career as an editor in 1997 editing industrial safety videos in New Orleans before moving to New York City in 2000. Working primarily in unscripted television for three years before shifting his focus to advertising, editing his first national tv commercial in 2003. Since then he has edited hundreds of commercials and promos for brands such as Empower, Zelle, Fifth Third Bank, IHOP, Coca-Cola, Spotify, Samsung, MTV, & New York Life Insurance. He’s collaborated with video artist Leah Singer and musician Lee Ranaldo on a series of video installations and performance pieces that evolved into Contre Jour: Cinema and Suspended Electric Guitar Phenomena. Brandon was also the editor of Ashley’s last short film, Volition.
Sean Graham. Stunts
SEAN GRAHAM is is one of Hollywood's most working stunt men. He has doubled for some of the biggest stars in Film and TV including Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Mark Wahlberg, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Scott Caan, 'Seann William Scott', Jack Black, Colin Farrell, and Scott Speedman among others.
Sean's done thousands of commercials as a stunt coordinator, 2nd unit director and performer filling in the gaps between movies and television. Sean's stunt work has earned him numerous accolades. He has been nominated multiple times for a "Taurus World Stunt Award" for his outstanding achievement in film. Twice nominated for Best Water Work with a win for The Perfect Storm (2000), doubling Mark Wahlberg. He was nominated for Best Fire Work on Deja Vu (2006) and Won his second Taurus for Best Specialty Stunt on Crank.
Sean is a World Record holding trick driver. He proudly represented the United States by shattering the World Record for sliding a car 180 degrees into a parallel parking space only 35 centimeters larger than the car. His high profile stunt driving reputation landed him on 'The Today Show' where he and Jay Leno slid BMW mini coopers all over the Plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
His work has spanned the globe. You might remember Sean from years back when he was endorsing Chevy trucks for the award winning commercial entitled The Stuntman.
Sean was a former Calvin Klein model and Marlboro man. He has been featured in hundreds of print campaigns, on billboards and commercials all over the world. Some recent ones include: Dirt Rider, Details, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, University Link, Malibu Times and GQ magazine. He has also been featured on a number of other behind-the-scenes programs like Entertainment Tonight (1981), A Current Affair (1971), E! Entertainment, ESPN 2, VH-1 and MTV.
When Sean's not falling out of buildings, jumping cars, writing or directing, you can usually find him giving back to the community. He donates a great deal of his free time to that of the less fortunate. Sean has been an avid volunteer for the Special Olympics, The Penny Lane Foundation for Abused Kids and the Life Rolls On foundation. Hurt for what you love, live your dreams without fear.
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