FILM TYPE:

Short

SYNOPSIS

A grief-stricken woman dates a similarly mourning man, only to discover that he keeps the stuffed corpse of his grandfather taxidermy-style in the bedroom of his remote farmhouse where she’s now trapped by a storm and forced to spend one terrifying night with “Grampy.”

PLAY TRAILER

https://vimeo.com/931056045

DIRECTOR BIO

Graham Burrell is a Philly-based filmmaker who has had a deep passion for the craft ever since he was old enough to say the word “camera.” Burrell solidified his drive for filmmaking when he was only in the third grade and he won his first film festival at the age of twelve. Throughout his high school and collegiate career, Burrell created countless short films and won numerous festivals; he graduated with a double major in Film Studies and Media and Communication and a minor in Philosophy from Muhlenberg College in 2021. Since then, Burrell has worked as a Video Producer for a company outside of Philadelphia and devotes every second of his free time to creative passion projects. He has over a decade of filmmaking experience and has written, directed, and edited over 25 short films and one feature-length film. These films have been accepted into festivals over 40 times and have won over 20 different awards. He has currently garnered over 6 million views online, has films available both on Amazon Prime and DVD/Blu-Ray through Amazon, and has been contacted by educators across the globe for permission to incorporate his films into their curriculum. His daily passion continues to be creating stories that are both entertaining and meaningful.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

Over two years ago, the initial premise for Grampy was conceived, originally intended to be a brief horror-comedy based upon the two words: “taxidermy grandpa,” which evoked feelings of both horror and dark amusement. However, shortly after I penned the first draft of the script, life dealt me a tragic blow--I lost my own grandfather after a seven year battle with multiple myeloma. While grieving his loss, I was suddenly able to see the tragedy inherent in a story about someone so unwilling to let go of a deceased loved one that they resort to human taxidermy. This initiated a massive re-writing process; I still wanted to maintain the same balance of creeping horror mixed with dark comedy, but I wanted this movie to be about something--specifically, the process of grief and path towards acceptance.
However, as this story grew more and more into a passion project, we began to face serious budgetary setbacks. The initial intention was to film in January of 2022, but as our proposed $10,000 budget came crashing to the ground, I was forced to put a halt on production. I knew I had to find a way to tell this personal story that I so desperately wanted to see come to fruition, and so I spent the entirety of 2022 searching for avenues to make it possible.

Eventually, after dramatically scaling back the budget and taking on several production roles myself, I saw a viable path forward. In February of 2023 (over a year and a half after pre-production began), armed with just a few thousand dollars and a lot of favors from friends and family, we spent six days filming Grampy at an 18th century farmhouse deep within the woods of rural New Jersey.

Despite the small crew and budgetary constraints, the final product is a film I am incredibly proud of. I believe I was able to accomplish the three “H’s” that I set out to attain: horror, humor, and heart. First and foremost, the goal is for the film to operate effectively as a horror film. From the classical setting of the creaking, old farmhouse in the middle of a thunderstorm to the shadowy images of the stuffed Grampy lurking in the corner of the bedroom, I believe this film offers audiences a terrific fright. However, the film still maintains its balance of dark humor--my intention is to have audiences fluctuate between nervous giggles and covering their eyes. Most importantly, I believe this film has heart--the story of our protagonist coming to terms with the unexpected loss of her father and the incredible grief and regret she struggles with is central in this story. I hope you enjoy Grampy; it’s a project I am immensely proud of--I think my grandfather would’ve been proud too.