Hayden Stanford

Maude is a horror, drama short set in the present day, unfolding within the suffocating confines of a small, cluttered flat belonging to an elderly woman who is slowly disappearing from the world. Misunderstood and painfully lonely, Maude’s yearning to remain youthful masks a deeper grief she is struggling to confront. When she kidnaps a young boy, she follows an ancient ritual; one that will expose his spirit, restore her fading body, and release her husband she has kept bound to this world though love and denial.

The story of Birdie follows a 19 year old uni student who is lonely and desperate for popularity above all else. In an effort to try to navigate university life and achieve these aspirations, she spreads word of a large house party at hers, which spreads like wildfire, allowing for some of the wrong people to catch wind of it. These people become obstacles in Birdie’s way as she manoeuvre’s her own party, her best friend Laura tries to ground and support her as an attempt to keep her cool, however the result of the party was never what Birdie intended.