Claw: when reality parodies horror cinema!

The art of criticism VS the art of doing things

Are you passionate about horror movies and think you’ve seen everything there is to see in the genre? Then take the time to watch Claw, a short film made in 2023 by ESMA students. In this parody of 80s and 90s slasher films, we follow the story of Andrew, a young film buff who methodically critiques the serial killer in the horror film he is watching.

In a mysterious turn of events, the killer becomes exasperated and ends up crossing the screen to challenge the young man. The roles are reversed: Andrew becomes the protagonist, and he is forced to take up the challenge by trying to kill the remaining victims.

It is therefore a far-fetched premise that amuses and surprises, with elements that gradually challenge the critical viewer’s stance by confronting them with the challenges of creation. “The art of criticizing is one thing, but the art of doing is another!” says one of the students who took part in this collective adventure.

It is notably by drawing on references and codes deeply rooted in the culture of the genre that the film fully embraces its parodic identity and manages to appeal to horror film fans and newcomers alike.

Selected for the 2024 Annecy Festival

While they claim to have enjoyed considerable creative freedom, the directors admit that their biggest challenge was the staging. To find the right tone that best reflected their narrative intentions, they had to do a lot of viewing, gathering selected references and carefully distilling them throughout the story: “We tried to play with the codes and clichés of horror films and subvert them. So it was important for us to incorporate as many references and iconic shots as possible, capable of speaking to and satisfying the widest possible audience. We had to dissect each film to extract the elements that interested us and succeed in sticking to the aesthetic of classic horror films from the 80s and 90s.”

A series of clichés abound in Claw, some more obvious than others, and the characters are an eloquent example: “We’re thinking in particular of the bimbo or the black sportsman” explain the directors, “who are usually the first to die in this kind of film. This time, they have a different outcome! Finally, the work on the music was not to be outdone: it had to coincide with the artistic vision of the film. The offbeat, dynamic style that the directors opted for contributes fully to the parodic atmosphere and accentuates the intended breaks in tone throughout the story.

The gamble paid off handsomely: at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Claw was selected in the “Graduation Films” category. This is a fitting reward for the collective and promising work of this young team, and bodes well for the future of each of its members.

Check out the teaser for Claw on our YouTube channel now: