LAUREN MARSDEN

We set out to make a short horror film using only one location, no story and no actors. Using only camera movements, sound effects, and editing techniques, this experiment became an honest study of the horror genre, exposing many of the fundamental methods and conventions used to generate the horror effect.

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What was, at one time, a habitat for polar bears in captivity, the pit is now a derelict concrete enclosure in the midst of the lush forests of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. In its abandoned state, we subjected this location to a series of “horror tests”. While entirely absent of character, script or plot, The Pit transforms a benign public space into a chilling world of fear and isolation.

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Co-Directed with Karen Lam

Commissioned by Cineworks and Brief Encounters