Short film: Bellatrix

A 35-minute film directed by Eric Chisholm and Kathleen Carrier'e Pefferkorn, this short film was released in 2010 and was somewhat ambitious for a clearly budget film – with both some (very primitive) cgi and practical effects.

It starts with a narration by Catherine (Kathleen Carrier'e Pefferkorn) whose mother has recently died and, as the new family matriarch, she needs to think on recent events. We see her driving into the cemetery and visiting the grave. As she goes back towards her car, she plays with a shoe heel and suddenly 3 girls (credited as cemetery ghost girls) appear and say that *she* knows she is there. They vanish just as suddenly.

confronted by ghost girls

At her mother’s house she remembers being a young girl and drawing a picture (notably with a winged demonic woman in the sky) and her mum keeping the picture and giving her a heirloom ring as a keepsake. She checks the draw and finds the picture and a half of a document in a foreign language. The estate lawyer (Rose Marie Rupley) comes in and Catherine mentions the document. The lawyer suggests that an antiquarian called Simon (Ralph Goin) might be able to translate.

Jeannie Stroumpos as Mastema

Going to his store, he does indeed recognise the document and, indeed, has the other half of the demonic contract (for that is what it is). He also recognises the ring and says that there was a woman, Mastema (Jeannie Stroumpos), who was cheated on and made a deal with the devil to get her revenge. The devil made her a vampire and she seduces men and sends their souls to Hell. She can only be killed by a woman from her bloodline and such a woman who possesses the contract (it repairs itself into one document) and the ring is the Bellatrix – the vampire hunter.

demon form

Of course Catherine is sceptical and leaves but Simon follows her and persuades her to listen to him, but Mastema is already after her. So Mastema is human looking, can produce fangs and become a bat-winged demon. The demon effect uses both a practical version and a cgi version matted to the video. Neither have aged well but, given the low to no budget nature of the film they were brave decisions. The whole thing feels amateurish but done with heart. It used to ghost around online, so you may be able to track down a stream if you fancy a watch.

The imdb page is here.