Stop-Motion Horror Short Film DEMONS IN THE CLOSET and Interview with Director James Smith

This week, our short film from the FilmQuest Film Festival and GeekTyrant team up is the stop-motion claymation horror film Demons in the Cloest, which comes from writer and director James Smith.

Demons in the Closet tells the bloody and violent story of a “resident who encounters scary demons from another realm in his closet.”

We are sharing these short films with you to promote the officially selected films of FilmQuest filmmakers and their work.

Check out the interview and short film blow and tell us what you think!

Without spoilers, tell us what your film is about, its characters, and its themes. Is it a proof of concept, or a standalone story? 

The film is a stop motion animated short about a resident being challenged by demons from another realm in his closet. It's a horror film with lots of action sequences.

What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?

I was inspired by the body horror cinema of the 80s. I really love all the practical effects used in that era and the aesthetics these effects have. I wanted to make a body horror film but making it as a stop motion claymation. I came up with the idea quite randomly, in its core I wanted to focus on the the bond between a human and his loyal dog but in a horror setting as the protagonists faces demons in his closet.

Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?

I'm a self taught filmmaker from Germany. I started filmmaking when I was very young, for over a deacde now. I'm now 28 and eversince I have a passion for stop motion animated films. Stop-motion and narrative films is what my passion is and intend to create more of them!

What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?

I was mostly inspired by the body horror cinema of the 80s. Especially movies like John Carpenters the Thing or Videodrome inspired me as a filmmaker. I also draw inspiration from daily life and try to use horror to built a narrative stop motion story.

What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?

My favourite part is always the writing process as well as finding a way to make this story happen within the limitiations of stop motion.

What are you most proud of with this film?

I'm really proud of the action effects and glad that the story with the dog and the human works within this story. Having the dog help the human out of the demon realm.

What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you'd like to share? 

What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?

The most challenging thing was working with clay and to not ruin the characters because the clay can easily morph into different shapes. I had to be very careful to animate the scenes as clean as possible despite having lots of practical complicated scenes. Also telling this story in about a minute is a real challenge, making it compelling and cool.

If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you'll approach future projects as a result?

Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?

What is the best advice you've ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?

The best advice I received was to find a creative way around all obstacles a film production might have.

What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?

I would love to finally make my own live-action feature film happen, even though it would be quite a challenge with the planning and funding, but we will see what happens.I also want to create more stop motion shorts as I really enjoy making animated short films.

What is your next project and when can we expect to see it? 

My next project would be another stop-motion short, I have the basic idea ready but need to polish it a bit more and plan out the scenes. I hope to make it happen soon. The feature film would also be on my list, but I can't really put a date on it as it's quite complicated to organize, I hope it will work.

Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you?

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SplitterShot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/splittershot/

What is your all-time favorite film?

Wow, that's a difficult one, there are so many great films. I think Princess Mononoke and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. But I also consider No Country for Old Men and Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz one of my favourite films.