Three female directors have been commissioned to make the latest batch of comedy horror shorts for Sky to tie in with Halloween, starring Jessica Knappett (Drifters), Andi Osho, Evelyn Mok
Curated and produced by the award-winning Merman team of Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford (Catastrophe, Bliss), this collection of Halloween-themed treats brings together some of the best new and established female directing talent.
The shorts are A Deal, directed by Nida Manzoor; It Should Have Been Me, directed by Emily Greenwood; and Twin Thing, directed by Kate Herron.
Sharon Horgan, Merman Founder and Executive Producer, said: “Finding strong female voices has always been important to us at Merman because there’s still an imbalance there to address. To be able to champion these women through Sky’s comedy shorts was a great opportunity.”
Jon Mountague, Head of Sky Comedy, commented: “This series of shorts has been created by a brilliant cohort of all-female directors who are bringing something new, exciting and refreshing to the comedy line-up on Sky. Through our partnership with the extremely talented Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford of Merman, Sky hopes to encourage more women to get involved with directing, writing and all technical roles in comedy.”
Clelia Mountford, Merman Founder and Executive Producer, commented: “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet just some of the brilliant female directors in the industry for this season of shorts, and the three we are working with have reaffirmed how the female gaze can result in exciting and surprising results in comedy. At Merman we remain committed to exploring opportunities for female directors and Sky’s shorts are a wonderful example of this.”
The Halloween Horror Shorts will be available exclusively on Sky on demand from 23 October and will then air on Sky Arts from 31 October.
More details below.
Horror Shorts: Twin Thing
Directed by Kate Herron
Kehinde & Taiwo are identical twins but chalk and cheese in every other respect. As historian Kehinde launches her guided tour, actress Taiwo seems determined to jeopardise its accuracy by vamping up the scare factor…
Written by Andi Osho
Starring: Andi Osho, Evelyn Mok, Jackie Clune
Horror Shorts: It Should Have Been Me
Directed by Emily Greenwood
It's the morning of Kelly's wedding and she has turned into the typical bridezilla. So far only one of her bridesmaids has turned up and other strange things are happening at the hotel. Phones stop working, the door is jammed shut and there are footsteps echoing down the corridor. Is something sinister afoot or is it a case of one wedding too far for Caroline?
Written by Bex Harvey and Christian Azzola
Starring: Jessica Knappett, Jessica Regan
Horror Shorts: A Deal
Directed by Nida Manzoor
The story of Jen and her encounter with a strange woman in a pub who promises her £4m tax free in exchange for giving her scary information about her future. What does Jen do? She wants the £4m, but can she handle the knowledge this stranger will tell her?
Written by Dan Mersh
Starring: Sheila Reid, Mandeep Dhillon, Jaz Deol
