Aurora Perrineau (Westworld, Abraham’s Boys), KJ Smith (Sistas), and Olivia Applegate (Love & Death, Organ Trail) are set to lead ROT, a visceral, female-driven psychological body-horror feature debut from writer-director Cat Del Re. ROT is gearing up for a spring production; Cat Del Re is producing with Jessy Greer under their banner, We’re There Films. […]
“Every cinematographer dreams of a script like Cat’s, and I am super excited by her visual take on how to achieve this,” Cordeiro says. “It is bold, original, and refreshing to see such an honest story being told in such an innovative way. We are exploring ‘uncharted territory’ with ROT, and I couldn’t have asked for better guidance than Cat’s.”
That “uncharted territory“ refers to Ut-e, ROT’s original creature that’ll be realized through ambitious practical effects.
Ut-e, built in the spirit of ’80s and ’90s horror, will be brought to life on screen entirely through on-set puppetry, with five different functioning puppets designed for specific purposes and emotional ranges. The character is described as “a universal, deeply relatable presence audiences can emotionally attach to on sight—with the emotional resonance of Wall-E and the charm and generational grab of creatures like Gizmo from Gremlins. Much like how viewers connected with Wall-E despite his mechanical, nonhuman form, Ut-e is designed to evoke that same depth of feeling—only here, she’s a body part.”
That gives some insight into what’s already shaping up to be an exciting project featuring a blend of intimate psychological body horror, practical creature work, and “a darkly comic descent into self-confrontation and rebirth.”
Stay tuned for more on ROT as it arrives.
