Greetings!! We are the creators of

Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead WINNERS of Best Short Film & Audience Favorite awards of the Overlook Film Festival 2023…

Audience Award at Final Girls Berlin, Best Director at Houston Horror, Best Production Design at Renegade, and more!

Along with Violet Butterfield, our team has created EIGHT short films together over the past 6 years! Such as The Chills, Pumpkyn, and Chopped Liver! Our shorts have won several awards and have screened in amazing film festivals around the world!

(Director’s Reel)

We are proud to bring you our first FEATURE FILM!!

The Cramps: A Period Piece!

A blossoming young woman, Agnes Applewhite, gets a job as a shampoo girl at lively beauty salon, which goes against the wishes of her traditional family which includes her sanctimonious mother and tightly wound sister. As she begins this newfound journey, she starts to deal with debilitating menstrual cramps which blurs the line between reality and nightmare. 

Step into the Surreal: A Fusion of Waters,

Bava, and Fellini!

Picture a world where John Waters’ irreverence meets the macabre of Mario Bava, all wrapped in the dreamlike allure of Federico Fellini. Welcome to a psychedelic wonderland, an imaginative universe where the unexpected is the norm, clothed in the captivating aesthetic of the 1960s.

A

A cinematic kaleidoscope: This feature length film will be an adventure through a surreal universe, where the boundaries of reality blur, and every scene unfolds like a mesmerizing trip. Channeling inspirational films such as Female Trouble, The Thing, Juliet of the Spirits, Amarcord, Hairspray, The Stuff, The Blob, Morgiana, The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, (we could go on and on) we’re crafting an experience that is part comedy, part horror, part fantastical, and wholly unforgettable.

THEMES

The story is a love slash hate letter to my own personal experience with having endometriosis. The experience was like a  ‘creature’ taking over my insides and ultimately resulted in having a complete hysterectomy/appendectomy in one surgery.  Themes include women empowerment, self-love, living authentically, and of course period blood.

MEET OUR KILLER TEAM

Our fierce team who slays and slashes through the norm is known as Warped Witch Cinema which is an all female-led film production company from South Louisiana.  We have the most killer cast and crew for this film!

Let’s meet the team!!

BROOKE H CELLARS DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER/EDITOR

My name is Brooke H. Cellars (she/her/they) and I’m the writer, director, producer, and editor.  I have directed 8 short films since 2018. I have adored horror films since I was a kid. My father was a children’s book writer and since I was a kid I have been writing stories that were always horror themed. My first screenplay, which I turned into a short film called ‘The Chills’, won Best Screenplay at Houston Horror Fest in 2020. Our most recent short film ‘Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead’ has screened in over 30 film festivals worldwide and has won multiple awards including Best Dark Comedy(LUSCA Film Festival), Best Director( Houston Horror Fest), Best Production Design (Renegade Film Fest), Abby Normal Award (Portland Horror), and was Overlook Film Festival’s overall winner snatching both the Jury Award for Best Short Film and the Audience Favorite Award. Violet Butterfield is also now streaming on ALTER!

In addition to my creative endeavors, I’ve been actively involved in nurturing the filmmaking community in Lafayette, Louisiana. In 2021, I founded the Warped Witch Film Festival (formerly known as Southern Gothic), the first horror/genre film festival in my hometown. I’ve also curated events such as The Horrors of Being a Woman film showcase and the LGBTQ+ film festival, Pride Acadiana Queer Film Festival.

MADELEINE YAWN – PRODUCER/AD

Madeleine (she/her) is a Louisiana filmmaker and a graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the Moving Image Arts program, where she met director Brooke H. Cellars and DP Levi Porter. The Cramps is the 7th project she has worked on with Brooke and Levi since film school. In 2019, she received UL Lafayette’s Judge Felix J. Voorhies Award for Creative Writing for her short story “Jane.” The university’s literary journal, The Southwestern Review, subsequently published the piece of fiction in its 2020 edition.  Madeleine is currently ​an Events Coordinator for Warped Witch Film Festival, which will run for its third year in September 2024.  Other credits include Malentina’s Llorando en la Disco music video and Monique Morton Derouselle’s The Candy Lady. 

WICKEN TAYLOR – PRODUCER/ACTRESS – ‘TEDDY TEABERRY’

Wicken Taylor (she/her) is an actor-filmmaker based in Southern Louisiana. Her acting film credits include The Way Station, Spooky Crew, Chopped Liver, Caffeinated, Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead, and You Might Be the Killer. Taylor grew up with ADHD and anxiety, and she has used her experiences to inform her work. She is committed to telling stories that represent diverse voices and that challenge the status quo.

Wicken is a co-chair of the Pride Acadiana: Queer Film Festival, alongside Brooke Cellars, where she is working to further the representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the film industry. She is passionate about using her platform to create an inclusive world where there is a place for everyone, regardless of their background or identity. ​ Taylor earned both a BS and MBA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she now works in the College of the Arts. Taylor shares a hometown in Saskatchewan, Canada with Wade Wilson (of the MCU), but she loves Lafayette and considers it her second home. Not only is she 1/4 of the killer production team, but as a talented actress she will be portraying the part of the ‘sweet Satanist’ Teddy Teaberry.

MICHELLE MALENTINA – PRODUCER/ACTRESS – ‘HOLIDAY HITCHCOCKER’

Michelle Malentina (she/her) is a film and stage actress, writer, singer and producer from Ponce, Puerto Rico and is based in Lafayette, Louisiana. Known on the stage by the mononame, Malentina, her music is an amalgam of classic mambo and afro-cuban beats that create a nostalgic sound with a contemporary approach. She has self produced four music videos and is currently in the process of producing her first full-length album. Her EP, Para Tí, is available to stream on all major platforms and her music videos are available to watch on YouTube. Not only is she another 1/4 of the producer party, but she will also be awesomely portraying the ‘hot mess fashion queen’ Holiday Hitchcocker.

VINCENT STALBA – PRODUCER/ACTOR – ‘VINYL VON CUNTLEY’

Vincent is an actor and producer based in Los Angeles, CA. Vincent has appeared in Lessons in Chemistry (APPLE TV+), The Vince Staples Show (NETFLIX), Claws (TNT), The Inspectors (CBS), Graceland (USA), ‘I Saw The Light’ (starring Tom Hiddleston) and Izzy Lee’s upcoming feature House of Ashes. He has been recognized by the Theatre Tampa Bay awards with the Best Supporting Actor award for ‘Biloxi Blues’ at Stageworks Theatre. Vincent’s true passion is indie film and film festival goers may have seen him in ‘The Blood of the Dinosaurs’ (Fantastic Fest, Fantasia, Toronto After Dark (won Best International Short), HollyShorts, Florida Film Festival, GenreBlast, FilmQuest, Chattanooga). He is thrilled to be collaborating with Brooke once again after working with her on ‘Fck’n Nuts’ which has screened at Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival and has gained over 60+ reviews.  Vincent is wonderfully helping produce to make this film happen and is also lending his talents in acting by portraying the ‘cocky eccentric villain’ Vinyl. Instagram: vincentstalba

LEVI PORTER – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Levi is a New Orleans resident and has a bachelor’s degree in Moving Image Arts from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has an amazing cinematic eye, is down to earth and a pleasure to work with. The Cramps is his 7th project that he’s collaborated on with Warped Witch Cinema. His other works include ‘Lost Bayou’,  Levi was already playing around with cameras when he found out you can play around with cameras and make a living doing it too! He believes the things that can happen when you get a group of collaborative creative people together to create something can be beautiful. His favorite horror movie is: ‘IT’ directed by Andrés Muschietti.

‘AGNES APPLEWHITE’-TBA

MARTINI BEAR – ACTRESS – ‘LAVERNE LANCASTER’

Always shaken, never stirred, Martini Bear (she/her/bitch) is ready to cut up and have an amazing time! Martini was born in 2016 as an emcee for burlesque shows and karaoke parties and has turned into a bodacious, beautiful, bearded queen here in Lafayette, LA! You can catch her performing at Bolt downtown with The Ladies Of Bolt show on Friday nights! She has performed all over Acadiana and other places such as Tulsa, OK, Denton, TX, and New Orleans, LA! She loves to have a good time and loves top shelf! So get ready for a party with Martini Bear!

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CHRISTINE PEIRCE – COMPOSER

Christine (she/they) is a New Orleans resident / Lafayette native with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Theory & Composition from UL. She has spent the last ten years composing predominantly pop music, touring her wares across the globe under the artist name “Rareluth”.
“Filmmaking is a beautiful culmination of many different forms of art. As artists we are still discovering the lengths of where we can go with this medium. It’s hard to not love film.”
“The Cramps: A Period Piece” is her 5th  film scoring project with the Warped Witch  team, previously composing for their shorts “Ivy”, “Pumpkyn”, “The Chills Part 2” and “Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead”.
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HANNAH GARATIE– PRACTICAL SPECIAL EFFECTS

I’ve worked in the film and creative industry for 10 years. I specialize in FX Makeup, Multi-Media sculpture, and Prop and Puppet Fabrication. I also have experience as a Production Designer and Art Department Head and team member. My favorite thing to do is to take a conceptual idea (mine or someone else’s!) and bring it to the 3 dimensional world. Currently, I operate Leaky Roof Studio, a collective along with my 3 partners and co-founders. There is nothing more fun or important to me than surrounding myself with amazing, creative people that I can learn from and share with. 

CAMILLE GLADNEY – PRODUCTION DESIGN

Camille Gladney (she/they/them) is a Louisiana-born queer filmmaker and production designer living in Shreveport, LA. Their debut LGBT short film ‘Gloria’ premiered at the Louisiana Film Prize in 2018 and won Best Narrative Short at Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival in 2019. In 2021, Camille co-wrote and co-designed ‘Erzulie,’ a campy creature feature about a Louisiana swamp mermaid, distributed by Gravitas Ventures. Camille is currently Production Designing a Shreveport-based sci-fi feature by Gorilla Tree Films, and is developing a kinky rom-com feature, ‘Maneater,’ with the newly established Louisiana production company, 3one8 Films. 

P*$$Y D’LISH – ACTRESS – ‘CLYTIA BLACKBUSH’

P*$$Y D’LISH is a traveling drag artist who works primarily in the Lafayette and New Orleans area. She is Lafayette’s very own punk rock prostitute princess who is out on a mission to prove once and for all that you are not her real father, and you never will be.

HOW CAN YOU HELP??

• Donate to our campaign
• Please shout out to the world and spread the word of what our team is trying to accomplish by sharing this campaign, emailing friends, family, and those who love movies!
• Check oout our —–> WISH LIST to see if you can help out or contribute anything that would help us get this film made!

WHERE ARE THE FUNDS GOING?

• To compensate our hardworking cast and crew!

• Making sure our cast and crew are fed and safe!

• Creating the world and characters with wigs, makeup, costume, props and production design!

• Shooting location fees.

• Insurance, legal costs, film festival fees.

• Practical special effects!

• Did I mention film developing fees? Since we will be shooting on….FILM!

Risks and Challenges

With any independent film there are many risks lurking about ready to bite and challenges we must face. For instance, we are shooting in June in South Louisiana in June! Have you felt a South Louisiana summer heat? Death sentence much?? Can we get an ambulance on standby please? Send more paramedics. We are still looking for an ideal shooting location, but even if we have to gut out my house and make it our own we will go insane and we will take you with us!!.. But seriously this movie is going to get made whether we like it or not! When our team says we are making a movie we make the damn movie. It’s happening. We thank you for anything you can help with even if it’s good vibes sent then send us those good vibes.

Thank you!