By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The body-horror film is continuing its acclaimed festival tour.
Below you can check out a preview of STOMACH IT, a short horror movie that has earned strong reviews at Nashville Film Festival, Mórbido Fest, Screamfest, the Chicago Horror Film Festival and others. It next plays Panic Fest on the Virtual Screening platform as part of Short Film Block #4, available from Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. through Sunday, April 6 at midnight, local time. The film will also be screened at the HorrorHound film festival on Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sharonville Convention Center in Cincinnati, OH as part of the Twisted Terrors block.
Written and directed by Peter Klausner, STOMACH IT stars Jon Lee Richardson. The synopsis: “In STOMACH IT, a crime scene cleaner struggles with emotionally detaching from the deceased’s personal possessions. While on a late night job, he convinces himself a monstrous presence is toying with him.”
“The film was born from a personal fear of mine–that suppressing trauma without addressing it can manifest in deeply unhealthy ways,” says Klausner. “While researching, I became fascinated by crime scene cleaners and how they’re expected to emotionally detach from their work. That detachment felt like a compelling lens through which to explore repressed trauma.
“When writing the script,” he continues. “I struggled with how to externalize the character’s mental anguish. Sound played a significant role, but I knew I needed a visceral visual element–body horror became the perfect answer. The subgenre is incredibly effective in portraying a character’s psychological unraveling. For me, making horror films is therapeutic; each phase of production allows me to confront my fears and anxieties in different ways. It’s crucial that my collaborators connect with these themes as well. That shared understanding makes the process deeply personal and creates a powerful bond. When I reach the end of a horror project, I always feel a sense of catharsis–like I’ve confronted and processed something within myself.”
