A Peculiar Thud (2016)
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Based on actual events, A Peculiar Thud is a short horror/thriller film about a home invasion in the middle of the night. It takes place in real time as Bill wakes up to an unusual banging sound downstairs. He makes his way through his labyrinthine home to find a man at his door asking to come in – and he won’t take no for an answer. Bill is forced to defend himself in his own domestic space, eventually taking matters into his own hands and confronting the intruder. One of them doesn’t make it out alive. A Peculiar Thud is an unrelentingly suspenseful horror film in the vein of The Strangers, Them, and Inside. Thematically, the film explores and interrogates the norms of violent masculinity and maleness. It is written and directed by award-winning independent filmmaker Ross Morin whose previous horror films, Deadpoint, A Wheel out of Kilter and Ad Noctum, play against tropes of the horror genre by critiquing aggressive masculinity, condemning physical violence, and rejecting traditional representations of the female body as object of sexual desire. As a gay filmmaker and feminist film professor, Morin brings a unique approach to his body of work, shooting his work through a “queer” lens and bringing political and intellectual perspective to a traditionally oppressive film genre - all while telling a story that is terrifying and breath-stoppingly scary. |
Awards and Nominations:
Coney Island Film Festival. Coney Island, NY. 2017. Winner - Best Horror
Liberty Massacre Horror Short Film Festival. Philadelphia, PA. 2017. Winner - Best Actor
Southeast New England Film Music and Art Fest. Providence, RI. 2017 - Winner - Best Horror Short;
Winner - Audience Award - Best Regional Horror Short
International Horror Hotel Film Festival. Cleveland, OH. 2017 - Honorable Mention
Macabre Faire Film Festival. Ronkomkoma, NY. 2018. Nominee - Best Editing
Sanford International Film Festival. Sanford, ME. 2017. Nominee - Best Horror
Great Lakes International Film Festival. Erie, PA. 2017 Nominee - Best Horror
Sydney Indie Film Festival. Sydney, AUS. Semi-Finalist.
Atlanta Shortsfest. Atlanta, GA. 2017. Nominee - Best Thriller Short
Motor City Nightmares International Film Festival. Detroit, MI. 2017. Finalist
Kickstarter - Project We Love
Coney Island Film Festival. Coney Island, NY. 2017. Winner - Best Horror
Liberty Massacre Horror Short Film Festival. Philadelphia, PA. 2017. Winner - Best Actor
Southeast New England Film Music and Art Fest. Providence, RI. 2017 - Winner - Best Horror Short;
Winner - Audience Award - Best Regional Horror Short
International Horror Hotel Film Festival. Cleveland, OH. 2017 - Honorable Mention
Macabre Faire Film Festival. Ronkomkoma, NY. 2018. Nominee - Best Editing
Sanford International Film Festival. Sanford, ME. 2017. Nominee - Best Horror
Great Lakes International Film Festival. Erie, PA. 2017 Nominee - Best Horror
Sydney Indie Film Festival. Sydney, AUS. Semi-Finalist.
Atlanta Shortsfest. Atlanta, GA. 2017. Nominee - Best Thriller Short
Motor City Nightmares International Film Festival. Detroit, MI. 2017. Finalist
Kickstarter - Project We Love
Official Selections:
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Macabre Faire Film Festival. Ronkomkoma, NY. 2018
Blow-Up International Film Festival. Chicago, IL. 2017 Terror in the Bay Film Festival. Ontario, CAN. 2017 Atlanta Horror Film Festival. Atlanta, GA. 2017 East Lansing Film Festival. East Lansing, MI. 2017 Kansas International Film Festival. Overland Park, KS. 2017 Cornwall Film Festival. Cornwall, UK. 2017 Orlando Film Festival. Orlando, FL. 2017 Fargo Fantastic Film Festival. Fargo, ND. 2017 Grimmfest. Manchester, UK. 2017. Halloween Horror Picture Show. Tampa, FL. 2017 Great Lakes International Film Festival. Erie, PA. 2017 Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival. Greensboro, NC. 2017 Coney Island Film Festival. Coney Island, NY. 2017 Sanford International Film Festival. Sanford, ME. 2017 Liberty Massacre Horror Short Film Festival. Philadelphia, PA. 2017 San Antonio Film Festival. San Antonio, TX. 2017 NewFilmmakers New York. New York, NY. 2017 Atlanta Shortsfest. Atlanta, GA. 2017 Pennine Film Festival. Accrington, UK. 2017 Long Island International Film Expo. Bellmore, NY. 2017 Cape Fear Independent Film Festival. Wilmington, NC. 2017 |
International Horror Hotel Film Festival. Cleveland, OH. 2017
Film Festival of Columbus. Columbus, OH. 2017 Motor City Nightmares International Film Festival. Detroit, MI. 2017 New Haven International Film Festival. New Haven, CT. 2017 Unrestricted View Film Festival. London, UK. 2017 Emerge Film Festival. Lewiston, ME. 2017 Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival. Providence, RI. 2017 Riverside International Film Festival. Riverside, CA. 2017 Short to the Point International Short Film Festival. Romania. 2017 D.C. Independent Film Festival. Washington DC. 2017 Screenings with DAMNATIONLAND 2016 October 29, 2016. The Gem. Bethel, ME. October 28, 2016. The Levitt Theater. Ogunquit, ME. October 28, 2016. Magic Lantern. Bridgton, ME. October 28, 2016. Apple Cinemas. Cambridge, MA. October 27-30, 2016. Frontier Cafe. Brunswick, ME. October 17, 2016. Nickelodeon Cinemas. Portland, ME. October 14, 2016. PREMIERE. State Theater. Portland, ME. |
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Crew clockwise from left:
Lindsay Sirois (Sound), Gregg Hammond (Unit Production Manager), RJ Wilson (Grip, Damnationland Producer), Malcolm Mills ("Billy"), Tom Digges (1st Assistant Camera), Kyle Clark (Gaffer), Matt Herbertz (Director of Photography), Ross Morin (Writer, Director), Stuart Vyse (1st Assistant Director) |