A SERIOUS HOUSE (2023)
12 min | English | Dir. Henry Fish
In the midst of a plague, a lonely priest must confront his fears when faced with an ominous knock at the door of his abandoned church.
'An eerie, atmospheric short with extremely sturdy form and a genuinely fantastic finale, one that is unnerving and memorable.'
- Reece Beckett (Rainbow Salad & Counter Arts)
As featured on the BBC.
'A SERIOUS HOUSE' is a new nightmare from S&H Films. After a successful crowdfunding campaign and partnership with UCL Film and Television Society, the film is now ready for audiences.
The film' is a period horror that we pitched as a ghost story in a church. It follows a tormented priest as he tends his isolated church. However, during a storm, he receives a knock at the door making him suspect he’s not as alone as he once thought. It is a film about loss. The loss of a community. A loss of purpose. A loss of faith. An echo of the past.
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'A SERIOUS HOUSE' is written and directed by Henry Fish, featuring gorgeous tinted black and white cinematography by Sebastiano O'Grady and rich production design and costumes by Grace Delve. With an incredible crew and stellar lead performance from David Shackleton, who's known for his roles in The Crown, Holmes and Watson and King Lear at the Cambridge Shakespeare festival, the film has begun it's festival run.
The film had a test screening in conjunction with The University of Southampton in November 2022, followed by a live Q&A with the writer/director (Henry Fish) and production designer/costume supervisor (Grace Delve). It has gone on to win Best Actor and Best Dark Short Film at Framing The Needle Film Festival and won its category 'Best in Suspense' at Durham Film Festival. The film has been nominated for Best Student Filmmaker and Best Sound at the 2023 Wolverhampton Film Festival and was selected for Young Surrey Film Festival, Lowestoft Film Festival, and Fear in the Fens 2023.
The film was also featured on the BBC, writer/director Henry Fish talking with presenter Rob Jelly about the inspiration behind the film, the importance of the horror genre, and finding your voice as a young filmmaker. Their interview was broadcast on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and is available to listen to via BBC Sounds. Click here to listen to the interview.
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With support from the BBC and multiple festival screenings across the U.K. there will be plenty of opportunities to watch the film on the big screen in 2023.
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Click here to watch the new trailer for 'A SERIOUS HOUSE':
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Writer/Director: Henry Fish.
Producer: Harry Traherne.
Cinematographer: Sebastiano O'Grady.
Production Design/Costumes: Grace Delve.
Music: Henry Alexander.
Assistant Director: Amy Ware.
First Assistant Camera: Louis Peppiatt.
Gaffer: Artemis Gitiforez.
Location Sound Mixer: Henry Alexander.
Boom Operator: Noo Rashbass.
Costumes: Grace Delve.
Script Supervisor: Khairah Boukhatem.
Hair and Make-up: Polly Fish.
Production Runner: Andrew Knight.
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