This year marks the ninth annual Disability Film Challenge, a competition created by Easterseals that, per the competition’s website, “gives filmmakers—with and without disabilities—the opportunity to collaborate to tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms.” This year’s theme is superheroes, and nearly 100 filmmakers have submitted their films for a chance to get access to entertainment professionals and hopefully find an entry point into the industry.
Among this year’s slate of filmmakers is former Rue Morgue blogger Alice Diehl, making her short film debut with GOOD MONSTER. As a fan of all things spooky, Diehl decided to add a dash of horror to her superhero film with supernatural and vampiric elements. She explains that she’s been kicking the idea around for the better part of 15 years. “I came up with the concept for GOOD MONSTER after watching numerous episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” says Diehl, who loves horror as a means to work through her own fears. “I am a huge fan of the horror genre because, frankly, I used to be afraid of everything as a kid. Between having a disability and someone who happens to be gay, horror was my safe space for dealing with all my fears. It’s made me stronger as an individual.”
Diehl also explains that working in the entertainment industry isn’t easy for people with disabilities, something she’s learned first hand as roles have been difficult to come by. Although she’s happy to say that’s changed somewhat in recent years, she’s taken the opportunity with the Film Disability Challenge to highlight her fellow creatives as virtually the entire crew had a disability. And they had no easy task, as one of the conditions of the competition was that the entire production had to be completed in no more than five days. But Diehl’s team rose to the challenge to produce GOOD MONSTER.
You can check out GOOD MONSTER below, as well as the other entries via the Disability Film Challenge YouTube channel.
