Film Review: The Rotting of Casey Culpepper (Short Film) (2022)

SYNOPSIS:

A girl battling leukemia and her single father fall into a well of paranoia when the girl experiences visions of a tumor-covered creature.

REVIEW:

The Rotting of Casey Culpepper was written and directed by Daniel Slottje. The film opens with Casey Culpepper (Lilliana Ketchman) and her father Lonnie Culpepper (Daniel Slottje). Lonnie is checking lottery tickets and Casey is throwing up from chemotherapy and being sick. Lonnie decides to shave his head for his daughter.

The music and sound’s great. I watched the movie by itself on my laptop and then I put my earbuds in to watch the movie, and the sound is intense. Casey and Lonnie live in the middle of the woods, and Lonnie is setting something up for this creature. I was able to interview and talk with Daniel Slottje, and he shared his story as to why he made this beautiful movie.

Cancer is a horrible thing. It brings this wrath into people’s lives. It’s horrible what cancer does to people. This movie is about more than a creature or something lurking about in the darkness. Casey is battling with herself and the monster that has ahold of her. There is a relationship between a father and daughter that you don’t usually see in movies.

The sounds and special effects in this movie are amazing. Daniel did a great job creating these characters and the creature in his vision. There is a transformation scene with Casey, and it’s just wild. Lilliana Ketchman did a good job portraying Casey. She gave her heart and soul, and she made her strong.

Daniel tells a strong story with heart. Horror is such a vast genre when you think about it. Daniel wanted to use horror to tell a story. It’s a story about heartache, sadness, emotions, and love. Daniel and his team did a good job with this film. The Rotting of Casey Culpepper is full of visuals that tell this story. The house is also a character in itself.

Make sure to check out The Rotting of Casey Culpepper and Panic Fest 2022.