The four uncles of Pigeon Shrine FrightFest are masters at creating line-ups that embrace and champion films all across the genre spectrum. From ghost stories and serial killers, to aliens and the Occult, no subgenre is left unturned in their bid to celebrate all films that align with the dark heart of cinema. One of THN’s favourites of this year is Vivieno Caldinelli’s Scared Shitless, which captures the magic of 80s creature features.
A wild creature feature, touching on the universal fear of being attacked when most vulnerable… on the toilet! Plumber Don (Steven Ogg) and Sonny (Daniel Doheny), his germaphobic son, are forced to care for each other after the death of Sonny’s mom. To help Sonny overcome both his grief and fear, Don drags him on a routine house-call where they encounter a plumber’s worst nightmare – a bloodthirsty creature that’s swimming through the pipes, killing the building’s tenants in an increasingly grisly fashion. With the help of the night manager, Patricia (Chelsea Clark), the team vows to stop the monster from escaping into the city’s water system.
After wowing the crowds at Fantasia, Scared Shitless received its international premiere at FrightFest and was met with a wonderful reaction from attendees. This response did not surprise THN as it is a practical effect heavy love letter to films such as Critters and Gremlins. Scared Shitless was one of the films that THN featured in our ‘Road to FrightFest’ interview series, but that didn’t stop us from grabbing time with Vivieno Caldinelli who was in attendance at the festival with his producer, Lewis Spring. We spoke with them both about working with practical effects, screening at FrightFest, and the potential for a sequel.
Scared Shitless screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest. A release date for Scared Shitless is still to be confirmed.
