The Stomach is a British short horror film that was written and directed by Ben Steiner.[1] The film had its world premiere on 21 September 2014 at Fantastic Fest, where it won "Best Horror Short". A full-length version of The Stomach is currently in planning.[2]

The Stomach
Directed byBen Steiner
Written byBen Steiner
Produced byDan Dixon
StarringBen Bishop
Kiki Kendrick
Jennie Lathan
CinematographyDominic Bartels
Edited byDan Dixon
Jacob Proctor
Music byDicken Marshall
Production
company
FUME FILMS
Distributed byFUME FILMS
Release date
  • 21 September 2014 (2014-09-21) (Fantastic Fest)
Running time
15 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

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Frank (Simon Meacock) is a spirit medium whose talents have proven to be more of a curse than a gift. Whenever a spirit is present his stomach will swell and pulsate, a process that enables his customers to talk to their dead loved ones but at the cost of his own physical well being. Tired of the constant pain and suffering, Frank decides that he will give up the medium life but finds that one of his customers is unwilling to accept his new decision to change his career.

Cast

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  • Ben Bishop as Tom
  • Kiki Kendrick as Gloria
  • Jennie Lathan as Mrs. Bird
  • Peter Marinker as Mr. Pope
  • Simon Meacock as Frank
  • Neil Newbon as Charlie
  • Ava Lovell as Monika's daughter
  • Emily Behr as Monika

Reception

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Dread Central praised The Stomach, writing "A mixture of genres packed into 15 minutes, The Stomach is a triumphant mash of cockney gangster-ism, ghost story and Cronenberg-esque body horror."[3] Twitch Film also enjoyed the short, marking Steiner as "a filmmaker to watch".[4]

Awards

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  • Best Horror Short at Fantastic Fest (2014, won)[2]
  • Short Film Melies d’Argent at Abertoir (2014, won)[2]
  • Best Short at Celluloid Screams (2014, won)[2]
  • Best Special Effects/ Make Up at Turin Horror Film Festival (2014, won)[5]

References

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  1. ^ Zimmerman, Samuel. "Fantastic Fest Shorts Preview: Ben Steiner and "THE STOMACH"". Fangoria. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Jones, Gareth (6 November 2014). "The Stomach Rumbles on iTunes; Feature Version in the Works". Dread Central. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  3. ^ Jones, Gareth (6 November 2014). "The Stomach (2014, Short)". Dread Central. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  4. ^ Bitel, Anton. "Dallas 2015: THE STOMACH, A Meeting Point For Infernal And Criminal Underworlds". Twitch Film. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  5. ^ "We Speak to Ben Steiner and Dan Dixon, Filmmakers Behind Thriller The Stomach". ASFF. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
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