Crowdfunding for Female Horror Films on Kickstarter

Decay Studio Films is a female led production company based in the UK and Sweden run by Mary-Cynthia W Dahlgren and Amelia Clay. In 2020 they were awarded the BFI Early Development Fund for their first feature film idea, and this year are directing a short horror film called AMNION which they've set up a kickstarter campaign for. What are your aims for this project?

With this film, we’re asking the audience to look at conversations about accidental pregnancies within relationships. What we want to do is open the door to that dialogue, through the genre of horror. How did you come up with the idea?

Jo Calderwood wrote AMNION after a trip to a Swedish lake house in the Summer of 2019. As soon as she saw the lake she was reminded of a creepy, mythological Scandinavian Folklore she read about 8 years ago: The Näcken. The story really struck a chord with her. Like many Folklores there are versions, variations and other names for the story throughout Europe (Nøkken, Nix, Nicor, Nykr, Nixie...) but the general gist is that it is a shapeshifting spirit that resides in lakes, luring women and children to their deaths. It’s a classic cautionary tale, but the detail that really grabbed Jo was that the preferred victims of the Näcken are supposedly pregnant women. Jo wanted to take this element of the story and use it to challenge preconceived ideas of how women are expected to behave, particularly examining societal assumptions around pregnancy. She is interested in telling stories where women’s paths are guided by their own choices and where women who don’t prescribe to the notions of motherhood are given a voice. What do you want to share with the backers who pledge to the project?

We are insanely grateful to anyone who backs this film! Times are really tough and we are very lucky that people want to help us. Members of our team have backed many projects on Kickstarter too, it's a brilliant platform for creatives. Supporting small business’s and independent artists is amazing. You feel part of something special. Most importantly, we know first hand the level of expectation for reward value. Which is why all of our rewards are packed full of content, so you get the most amount for your money! Do you have a special message to share?

Backing AMNION isn’t just a chance to support female filmmakers and female led stories. We're aiming to push the typical horror genre boundaries creatively, and hopefully start a difficult but incredibly important conversation, globally.  Especially now. The timing for this film couldn't be more pertinent.