Stopmotion Coming To Theaters February 23

IFC Films will be introducing a unique kind of horror film, Stopmotion, later this month. Yes, the name means the whole thing’s a love letter to stop motion, chiefly the demented kind.

Stop motion animation used to be an essential ingredient of horror films, as it was the only way you could bring some creatures to life. The invention of CGI brought down its use quite a bit, but there are some independent films that still prefer to use the technique. Now here comes a movie entirely devoted to stop motion horror, a showcase of just how creepy these creations can be.

It needs a plot, though, so here’s one: Ella Blake, a stop motion animator, has recently lost her mother and the grieving process causes her to get absorbed in her work…a little too much! Soon the lines between her grisly film and her own reality start becoming blurred. The disfigured murderer from her work starts appearing in real life! What’s happening?

Stopmotion stars Aisling Franciosi, Tom York, Caoilinn Springall, Therica Wilson-Read and Stella Goney. It was directed by Robert Morgan from a script written by Morgan and Robin King. The film will have a limited theatrical run starting February 23, and should arrive on rental March 15.

Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella’s mind starts to fracture, the characters in her animated film take on a terrifying life of their own, and the unleashed power of her imagination threatens to destroy her.