Footsteps Promo Banner
By Tyler Ody
Filming for a new horror short from local film company Pipe Screams Productions, and accredited Executive Producer Neil Marshall, is set to start in Swindon this September.
Footsteps - a new horror short film - coming soon from Pipe Screams Productions, will be written and directed by Janine Pipe (HER), with assistance from Executive Producer Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent).
A spokesperson for the company describes the plot of the short film: “A group of young women head to Marshall Woods, intending to blow off steam and find inspiration for their book about local ‘missing person’ lore and legends. They soon discover they are not alone and unwittingly begin a bloody fight for survival against a terrifying and unnatural antagonist.
“Some lores are meant to be broken.”
Hot on the tail of Pipe Screams’ first short film, HER comes Footsteps, an adaptation of the short story of the same name which first appeared in the 2020 charity anthology Diabolica Britannica - and was subsequently nominated for a Splatterpunk Award due to the extreme nature of the violence and use of menstrual blood as a plot-point.
It is also featured in Pipe Screams’ collection, Twisted: Tainted Tales (2021). Readers were said to have often praised the cinematic feel of the piece and it remained in the back of Janine Pipe’s mind that maybe one day, it would be adapted for the screen.
With nods to Carrie, Blair Witch Project and Evil Dead, it is described as a self-contained tale with potential to become a feature. The Pipe Screams team say viewers won’t be left feeling cheated, but they will want more and they have plans to fully explore the lore in the future.
Having collaborated with Marshall for her book Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers, Janine Pipe says she has been eager to work with her mentor and friend again, before they begin prepping for The Making of The Descent, which is set for release in 2025.
Footsteps also boasts a female-only cast, and will showcase practical effects and a creature design said to be worthy of a low budget homage EP Marshall.
Other crew members on board for this project include:
Filming will take place in Janine Pipe’s hometown of Swindon in September 2023, with aims of premiering at London’s Frighfest in August 2024.
Janine and her team are hoping to fund the majority of the short via Indiegogo.
Perks for those wishing to donate towards the project include a Special Thanks IMDb credit, an exclusive poster signed by Janine Pipe and Neil Marshall and various producer status levels, along with one very special edition perk – an original Dog Soldiers quad poster signed by Marshall along with Sean Pertwee, Darren Morfitt and Craig Conway.
Janine said: “Times are hard right now for many people and you may find that although you’d like to support a British women-driven indie genre production oozing with blood, you just can’t financially. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t be hugely beneficial in helping us by spreading the word and sharing the campaign wherever you can. And for that we will be massively grateful.”
Those interested can support Footsteps by visiting: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/footsteps-film-by-janine-pipe-ep-neil-marshall/x/29481106#/. Perks start from just £3.
Footsteps Promotional poster