USC Cinematic Arts | First Look 2022 - Thriller/Sci-fi/Horror/Suspense

« Back to First Look 2022 Screening List

Thriller/Sci-fi/Horror Films:

Apotheosis (17:20)

Drama, LGBTQIA+, Women, Science

An aerospace engineer has to compete against genetically engineered humans to secure a job position on the first habitable space colony.

Director
Max Pearce

Writer
Max Pearce, Maria-Sara Santoro

Producer
Maria-Sara Santoro, Brian DeAngelis

Director of Photography
John Burroughs Hanle

Production Designer
Maria-Sara Santoro

Editor
Riley Sweeney Lynch

Sound Design
Carter Tate

Boo Hag or Shadow Man (10:02)

Comedy, Black/African American, Fantasy, Women

A career conjure woman accidentally brings home an evil spirit and ruins her roommate's night.

Director & Animator
Emily Maya Mills

Writer
Jalen Young

Producer
Martin Griego, Ugonna Nwabueze

Story
Catalina Parra

Production Designer
Alexandra Langell

Editor
Janette Gomez and Karina Gomez

Sound Design
Najmeddine Harrabi and Daoji Yang

Boulevard (10:36)

Drama, Fantasy, Latino

On a fateful afternoon in East Los Angeles, two cousins are unwittingly dragged into a dangerous, ancient underworld of magic and monsters that will change their lives forever.

Director
John Fairchild

Writer
Agustin A. Mares, John Fairchild

Producer
Agustin A. Mares, Alexandra Reinnoldt

Cinematographer
Matthew Wilder

Production Designer
Adele Biraghi

Animator
Tucker J. Hampson

Sound Design
Derek Sepe

Little Box (12:06)

Drama, Women, Science

Alone and locked in against her will, Octavia wakes up in an AI-controlled room at her pharmaceutical company. She must overcome her issues with mental illness and outwit the supercomputer to escape.

Director
Krystal Dawn

Writer
Paige Malkow

Producer
Courtney Oâ€™Connor

Cinematographer
Junru Wang

Production Designer
Theodoros Vasiloudes

Animators
Christopher Bryan

Sound
Georgia Conrad, Hawk Krubert

Morse Code (13:04)

Drama, Women

Haunted by a loved one's tragic death, a grieving Stefani uses Morse Code to speak with The Beyond.

Director
McKenzi Vanderberg

Writer
Maurizio A. Ledezma

Producer
Da Eun Kim, Liz Lian

Cinematographer
Sabatino Ciatti Jr.

Production Designer
Dorothy Jackson, Julia M. Quiceno

Animators
Cristina Headrick, Marie Lessel

Sound
Victoria Shan Wang, Ziyi Wendy Wang

OST (19:23)

Drama, Asian/ Asian American, Women

A scoring assistant working on a horror film finds her debilitating perfectionism has manifested as the film's malevolent spirit who will not let her live past the night unless she delivers a perfect score.

Director
Abhichoke Chandrasen

Writer
Abhichoke Chandrasen

Producer
Alexandra Cheng, Erik He, Luciana Suero

Cinematographer
Wara Pornkulwat

Production Designer
Kantapit Kaewthai

Animators
Nisarat Meechok

Sound
Warat Prasertlap

Music
Bill Hemstapat

Rated R (12:00)

Comedy

A dark-as-midnight comedy in which an 8-year-old boy plots a heist to see his first R-Rated movie against his mother's wishes.

Director
Reid Antin

Writer
Reid Antin

Producer
Ericka de Alexander, Mireia Vilanova, and Alex Berry

Cinematographer
Jack McDonald

Production Designer
Christopher J. Cullen

Animators
Reid Antin

Sound
Kyle J. Miller and Charles Moody

Sundown (12:05)

Drama, Family/Teen/Kid, Women

A young girl tries to escape from the strange hospital and the creature made of shadows that stalks her from the corner, but the only way she'll survive the night is by uncovering the dark secret of her admission.

Director
Alec Steele

Writer
Alec Steele

Producer
Khari Johnson

Cinematographer
Ashley Agren

Production Designer
Jo Ross

Animators
Foustene Fourtenbach

Sound
Casey Pereira, Chet Severn, David Abramov

« Back to First Look 2022 Screening List