‘The Cramps: A Period Piece’ Teaser – John Waters Meets Mario Bava in 35mm Horror-Comedy [Exclusive]

John Waters‘ irreverence meets the macabre stylings of Mario Bava wrapped in the dreamlike allure of Federico Fellini in The Cramps: A Period Piece.

Explore the horrors of being a woman in our exclusive teaser trailer below.

The fantastical, coming-of-age horror-comedy will have its world premiere this Friday, September 19, at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX.

Agnes Applewhite, a blossoming young woman caught between her sanctimonious mother and tightly wound sister, defies her family’s expectations by taking a job as a shampoo girl at a lively beauty salon. As she thrives in this new colorful world, she is suddenly confronted by debilitating menstrual cramps that become real-life monsters, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.

Shot on 35mm film with a technicolor palette and nods to 1960s aesthetics, the movie marks the feature debut of writer-director Brooke H. Cellars, inspired by her own battle with endometriosis.

Lauren Kitchen, Martini Bear, Brooklyn Woods, Wicken Taylor, Michelle Malentina, Vincent Stalba, Sylvia Grace Crim, Jared Bankens, Harlie Madison, Jude Ducet, Olivia Peck, Penny Leleux, Gabriel Steven Perez, and Jeff Pearson star.

“I believe horror is what scares us,” says Cellars. “What scares me is not a slew of vampires or a band of zombies. It’s not a slasher waiting for me in the bushes or a cannibal after my spleen. The true monster is our everyday lives. What scares me is real life and what people have to deal with in secret in their own lives.”

Cellars continues, “My goal for The Cramps being a horror movie isn’t to shock or be gory or blood blood blood. I want this horror to be comforting and for my audience to see a piece of themselves in it. I want to surprise you with something you didn’t expect to find in a
horror film. A warm hug in the middle of a nightmare and a gentle punch in the gut with some truth.”