A young woman visits her grandmother’s house to meet grandma’s new boyfriend—who turns out to be a twenty-six-year-old man with questionable motives and a cryptic backstory.
Starring the talents of Camille Ladendorf as Dee, RJ Pennington as Harold, and Daphne Dennis as Elaine, Over the River and Through the Woods was shot on a shoestring budget with a guerrilla crew by the same writer-director who brought us Grampy. The film was shot in its entirety in a ‘creepy 19th-century cottage…found on Airbnb’ and aims to be, like the aforementioned film, something of a dark, tongue-in-cheek, black comedy. And in this regard, it succeeds.
What our short film tackles—through the lens of cultish horror—is the trend of younger ‘gold-diggers’ marrying those in their golden years to take advantage of their mental decline, sometimes considerable wealth, or simple naivety. This is precisely the case with Over the River and Through the Woods, where Dee (Ladendorf) is meeting grandma’s (Dennis) new boyfriend, Harold (Pennington). The dinner is, as one would expect, awkward and confrontational, with the evening’s nightcaps being where the real fun begins.
Over the River and Through the Woods manages to take this cliché and turn it on its head, so to speak, adding in a splash of the supernatural for colour. It’s not surprising nor shocking but—while predictable—still manages to entertain with its decent acting, competent writing, and above-par special effects. As in Grampy, Pennington takes the spotlight as our devilish host; unsurprising, as these are all creations sprung forth from his own morbid imagination.
What did catch me off guard—however—was the fact that I am going through this exact situation, sans the satanic rituals, of course. My estranged stepfather has sold off all his assets and has run off to the Philippines with a woman the same age as his children, much to the disgust and disdain of all the other members of my family, especially my sisters, whose reactions were pretty much frame for frame the same as Dee’s. Having recently been in the same shoes as our protagonist, I will say that I sat with a bit of a biased smirk on my face throughout my screening of the short. Sometimes, the things that hit home hit hardest.
Overall, it’s a fun and clever short film that is definitely helping to shape and form Pennington’s unique artistic style. Over the River and Through the Woods is devilish, colourful, and quirky with a touch of the macabre. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. I have added the director’s statement and the film’s artwork below.
The genesis of this film began with a simple question: how could I make a twenty-something year old man into a horror-movie villain without the use of expensive prosthetics or special effects? My answer? If a twenty-six year old was dating my grandmother, I would immediately distrust him. Thus began the writing process during which I initially composed a three-thousand word short story, which I then adapted into a screenplay. During this process, I faced some personal tragedy: I unexpectedly lost my grandfather and my grandma was moved into an assisted living facility. As I endured this difficult life transition, I realized that this film could serve as an interesting allegory for the way caretaker roles swap; in life, children and grandchildren eventually take on caregiving roles for their respective parents and grandparents.
In the spring of 2025, we filmed Over the River and Through the Woods at a 19th century cabin in the woods with a skeleton crew and a shoestring budget. Crafted entirely by a team of dedicated, passionate, and talented twentysomethings, I believe the quality of this film far exceeds its guerilla production level. This film combines elements of dark comedy, psychological thriller, and gross-out body horror into one singular experience that I believe will play magnificently in front of a packed, eager audience. The filming process really encapsulated the magic of low-budget filmmaking: a small group of friends working on something we were all incredibly passionate about. I believe that the excitement, dedication, and energy we all experienced on set is palpable on screen.
