Creepy Trailer for Horror Short MASKS Follows a Man Using Halloween Masks to Wake His Catatonic Wife

Here’s a trailer for a horror short film titled Masks, from writer and director Andre LeBlanc. The story centers on a husband who “slowly draws his wife from a long-standing catatonic state by having her wear a series of old Halloween masks.

“Driven by the hope of having her back, he pushes the experiment into dangerous territory, sending him towards a final confrontation he’ll soon regret.”

This trailer is shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to expose some of the great indie genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.

I’ve included an interview with the filmmaker below along with the short!

Without spoilers, tell us what your film is about, its characters, and its themes. Is it a proof of concept, or a standalone story? 

Our film is about a husband who slowly coaxes his wife out of a catatonic state by having her wear a series of increasingly disturbing Halloween masks. Driven by the hope of having her back, he pushes the experiment into dangerous territory, sending him towards a final confrontation he’ll soon regret. I’m fascinated by the concept of core identity, and how something we perceive as steadfast and unchanging is actually quite malleable and delicate. Whether it’s the facades we adopt to hide our true selves, or through life-changing experiences such as illness and trauma, it's sobering that our core essence could be altered or even lost. My goal is to use horror to explore this complex theme, and ask the question: how well do you know those closest to you? 'Masks' began as a standalone story, but since its completion, I have also written a feature adaptation.

What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?

I was initially inspired by the film and book 'We Need to Talk about Kevin', and how someone so close to you could be so unknowable at a core level. Mixed with that is my constant obsession with photos, and the stories they tell-- true or otherwise. To me, 'Masks' is the ultimate extrapolation of that idea, by crafting a mask from an old photo, and trying to obtain some form of truth or story out of the person wearing it.

Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?

I am a writer, director, VFX artist and supervisor based in LA. My directing work includes genre short films such as ‘CREATOR’ (2022), and 'MASKS' (2024), both which played in competition at Sitges. My work in visual effects includes work on David Fincher’s 'LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS' and the beloved 'HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON' from DreamWorks Animation.

What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?

I think genre is very flexible in terms of form and content. It can be anything from horror, sci-fi, to high octane action. I think it's also where the most innovative stories are told, because we can hide serious thematic elements behind buckets of blood. At their best, genre films offer an entertaining story on the outside, with a thought provoking core.

What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?

For me, the process is incredibly difficult, heartbreaking, and stressful from start to finish. I tend to find solace in moments where I've solved a major problem, finished a revision of the script, or completed a new edit. These moments contribute to the satisfaction of having finished something difficult.

And while I love the overall journey, I always find it to be filled with compromise, wrong turns, and time constraints. That said, I look back on each project fondly as a whole. That's because you work so tightly with a group of people who become like a second family.

What are you most proud of with this film?

First and foremost: the performances. I think our lead actors Cindy Dolenc and Kenny Johnston do a fabulous job of portraying a family in crisis. Beyond that, Cindy's ability to emote beyond the mask, which is quite cumbersome, is really incredible. This is a chamber piece that relies on the actors to deliver, and I believe they do.

What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you'd like to share? 

This moment is more funny in retrospect, but I had spent weeks testing a version of the main mask our lead actress was going to wear, which was called the 'Anna-Mask'. I brought the first test version over to our makeup artist's studio, and planned to have our actress (Cindy) try it on while she was doing her makeup test.

I expected it to be quick and easy. It was not. As soon as she put it on, it was cutting and chafing her lips, her nose and the skin around her eyes. Even worse, she couldn't move her mouth without hurting herself. I tried to adjust it tighter to her face, which made it even worse.

Nothing about the mask was working. At that moment, the makeup artist looked at me and said: "Not as easy as you thought it would be, is it?" We eventually solved these issues after much more testing, and I can laugh now. But it was wild how something that seemed so simple would become such a challenge!

What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?

Our lead actress (Cindy Dolenc) having to wear a mask through most of the film created many challenges I wasn't prepared for. First, the masks can be uncomfortable to wear for long stretches of time. Second, they limit your actor's field of view in big ways, forcing you to simplify the action and blocking around them.

And third, it's very hard to project any kind of emotion through a mask. Hats off to Cindy, who manages to pull this off. Ironically, when she's not wearing a mask, she's completely catatonic. So she has the cursed part of having to perform while wearing a mask, and emote through an immobile stare when she's not. It's a very difficult performance.

If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you'll approach future projects as a result?

We stuck to the script!

Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?

Our main husband/wife duo were played by Cindy Dolenc and Kenny Johnston. I was lucky to be introduced to them through our casting director, Patrick Baca. Patrick and all the other key players are people I've worked with on several occasions, going back more than 10 years in some instances!

What is the best advice you've ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?

It's a long game. Start building relationships early, and keep making new ones. Don't expect anything major to happen for your career overnight, or in a year, or even three years. It takes time. Also, be kind to people. Everyone you meet in the industry has their own trajectory, and you don't how they may come back into your circle in the future, and potentially play a part in your success, as well as others.

What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?

What is your next project and when can we expect to see it? 

Currently working on a feature adaptation of Masks!

Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel? Social media handles?

If you watch the show 'Love, Death & Robots', you'll see some of my work there! I've now worked on all 4 seasons of the show. I have some of my previous directing work on my Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/andreleblanc

Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?

Trick question!!

Bonus Question #2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a filmmaker and/or had the most influence on your work?

As a kid, 'Aliens' was the first movie where I associated a filmmaker with an actual film. That set me on the path. Beyond that, I love David Lynch, not so much an influence as pure admiration.