Clickbait | |
---|---|
Directed by | Sophia Cacciola Michael J. Epstein |
Written by | Jeremy Long Michael J. Epstein |
Produced by | Sophia Cacciola Michael J. Epstein |
Starring | Amanda Colby Stewart Brandi Aguilar Seth Chatfield Ryan James Hilt Cedric Jonathan Makeda Kumasi Jannica Olin Johannes Grenzfurthner Sarah Paterson Sophia Cacciola Brittnee Hollenbach Lianne O'Shea Michael J. Epstein Matt Stuertz Jill Galbraith |
Cinematography | Matt Stuertz Paul Zurcher |
Edited by | Sophia Cacciola Michael J. Epstein |
Music by | Night Kisses Catherine Capozzi Michael J. Epstein Sophia Cacciola |
Production company | Launch Over |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Clickbait is a 2018 social satire horror film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. The film is an exploration of the pressures on people to have performative identities and to seek popularity. [1] The film satirizes not only social media, but the way in which social media is used to sell advertising for mundane products, specifically the invented radioactive toaster pastry, Toot Strudels. [2] [3]
The film won the award for "Best Feature" at the Starburst 2019 Fantasy Film Awards. [4]
A popular vlogger, Bailey, is upset when she loses her status on vlogging site, str33ker.com, [5] to a competing creator who is diagnosed with cancer. When Bailey starts getting stalked, her popularity rises again, and she is not so eager to have the crime solved. With incompetent police detective Dobson assigned to the case, the culprit will probably not be caught.
Daniel XIII of Horror Fuel says that Clickbait is, "a horror comedy that takes the horror part seriously, along with a heaping helpin' of surreal visuals, pointed commentary, and toaster pastries." Andrew Marshall of Starburst noted the film's audience-focused themes calling the film, "a scathing observation of the habits of the internet age, Clickbait asks us to take a hard look at our online viewing habits and the true reasons for our enjoyment of the darker things that appeal to us, and demands we truly consider the kinds of things we might be inadvertently complicit in." [6]
The film went into production in December 2017. [7]
Clickbait has received generally positive reviews. Daniel XIII of Horror Fuel gave it 5 out of 5 skulls and said, “…a strong undercurrent of biting social commentary presented in a satirical manner. Everything from social media to corporate sponsorship to instant celebrity to the corruption of law enforcement and government is well and duly skewered. But fret not, because while these themes are being explored, there is a true reverence to our beloved horror biz on display as well (especially for the slasher and giallo genres).” [8] Matt Storc of Horror Society noted the film's satirical qualities, giving it a 3.5/5 and saying, "Fans of John Waters and Paul Bartel movies are in for a treat with Clickbait." [9]
Clickbait was released on VOD in North America on June 18, 2019. [10] [11]
Johannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, filmmaker, writer, actor, curator, theatre director, performer and lecturer. Grenzfurthner is the founder, conceiver and artistic director of monochrom, an international art and theory group and film production company. Most of his artworks are labeled monochrom.
The Sitges Film Festival and also translated as Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia and originally the International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies, is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specialises in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost international festivals. Established in 1968, the festival takes place every year, usually in early October.
The Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) is an annual event held in the Boston area that specializes in alternative film and video. BUFF is the largest underground film festival in New England, spotlighting short films and feature-length films that would not otherwise find an audience. It was the only film festival in the world to give an award for "Most Effectively Offensive" films, an accolade it awarded from its inception until 2017; on the festival's twentieth anniversary, the award was retired and replaced with "Best First Feature Film," marking a shifting focus towards celebrating new voices in filmmaking.
Toaster Strudel is the brand name of a toaster pastry, prepared by heating the frozen pastries in a toaster and then spreading the included icing packet on top. The brand is historically notable for being stored frozen, due to innovations in 1980s food manufacturing processes.
The Imagine Film Festival, formerly Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (AFFF), also known as Imagine Fantastic Film Festival or simply Imagine, is an annual film festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The festival was created in 1991 as the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, with a focus mainly on fantasy and horror films, before changing its name in 2009.
Issa López is a Mexican director, writer and producer. Twelve Spanish language features have been produced from her scripts, four of them directed by herself. She has won several literary awards, including the National Novel Award granted by Mexico's Institute of Fine Arts and Literature in 2007.
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Ten is a 2014 thriller/horror film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein in which ten women find themselves in a vacant mansion on an island. The film had its world premiere on March 30, 2014 at the Boston Underground Film Festival and features an all-female ensemble cast.
Innsmouth is a 2015 short horror film that was directed by Izzy Lee, who co-wrote and co-produced the film with Francesco Massaccesi. The film premiered on August 19, 2015 and is inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, particularly The Shadow over Innsmouth.
Izzy Lee is an American filmmaker and writer, known for her short films Re-Home (2019), The Obliteration of the Chickens (2019), My Monster (2018), and Innsmouth, which she produced through her company Nihil Noctem. She has written for multiple outlets such as Birth.Movies.Death, Rue Morgue, TwitchFilm, and Fangoria and has also helped program and curate film festivals like the Boston Underground and the Boston Sci-Fi Fest.
The Id is a 2016 American thriller/horror film, written by Sean H. Stewart and directed by Thommy Hutson. The film stars Amanda Wyss, Patrick Peduto and Jamye Grant. As of February 2019, the film has grossed nearly $8k from DVD and Blu-ray sales.
Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival is an international film festival in Buffalo, New York.
Blood of the Tribades is a 2016 horror film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. The script, style, and look are heavily influenced by 1970s European lesbian vampire films. The film is distributed in North America on VOD and DVD/Blu-ray by Launch Over and VHS by SRS Media.
Michael J. Epstein, is an American filmmaker, musician, writer, and auditory scientist. Epstein has also spoken and written about the impact of local media on the arts, music service gatekeeping, effective social networking, and crowdfunding.
Sophia Cacciola is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, artist, and musician.
The GenreBlast Film Festival is an annual event held in the Winchester, Virginia area that specializes in genre film. GenreBlast is the largest genre film festival in the Washington, D.C. region, spotlighting short and feature films that are typically independently produced and would not otherwise receive theatrical release.
The Sanford International Film Festival is an annual event held in Sanford, Maine that specializes in independent film.
Chimera Strain is a 2018 science fiction drama/thriller film written and directed by Maurice Haeems, and produced by Jay Sitaram and Maurice Haeems.
Saint Maud is a 2019 British psychological horror film written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Morfydd Clark as a religious private carer who becomes dangerously fixated with saving the soul of her patient. Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer, Lily Knight, Marcus Hutton, Turlough Convery and Rosie Sansom appear in supporting roles.
The Once and Future Smash is a 2022 mockumentary film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. The film tells the story of Mikey Smash and William Mouth, who both played the same football cannibal slasher character, Smash-Mouth, in the 1970 film, End Zone 2.
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