Statement from director Erica Scoggins about her Fantasia Film Festival Best Short Film winning THE BOOGEYWOMAN: "The Boogeywoman is a coming of age story about the horrors and wonders of becoming a woman: the evolution of our bodies, our perceived inadequacies, our stereotypes. The continued secrecy and shame surrounding the most natural and marked change in a girl's life is here transformed into an experience of newfound power and agency." Full synopsis of the film: Late blooming Sam Rains finally gets her first period at the annual all-night skate. At first a triumph, her new condition brings strange side effects. An eerie electrical problem has the kids teasing about “the Boogeywoman,” a local legend, a sorceress who feeds on men’s souls and eats little girls. Skepticism crumbles as a concession stand burnout suggests that not only is the Boogeywoman flesh and blood, but that Sam is a spitting image of her. When a friend leaks about Sam’s period, the boys tell her she’s fair game for The Boogeywoman. With an expected tryst derailed, Sam leaves the skating rink in a fever only to meet the legend in the flesh. Instead of a monster, Sam finds a mother, a goddess, a mentor--opening the door to womanhood.

That girl in the red top is so mean and toxic if you have friends like that then they’re not your real friend I speak from experience

is anyone else confused

If that guy is disgusted by a girl, who has her period, he has a very lonely future ahead of him! Or only 3-week-relationships...

Menstruation's no laughing matter. Period.

Why do people jump to tampons? Lol Like I would never offer someone one espically if they are new to periods.

I have few points 1. Unhygienic Female toilets 2. Lack of menstrual education's 3. No incharge for kids... 4. Creepy snack shop man 5. An annual event only for a handful of kids 6. Stalker boy 7. Peer pressure This movie is short but full of issues related to kids... Good job

Ladies, let's talk! Those cardboard sandpaper tampons are made by the devil himself.

The fact that she is a teenage girl who just started her period, I can understand the fact that she wants a pad instead of a tampon. Also her mother is dead so she never had anyone to teach her about tampons. And then her jealous friend put her on blast about starting here. Especially since her crush is afraid of blood its pretty f***** up.where the boogie woman comes in I'm really don't understand. I can only figure it's her mother?

Is this the same skating place from their other short film “Slut” ?

I really thought everyone disappeared after the lights went out😂😂😂

I cant blame her when she asked "theres no pads?" Because I can not and will not use tampons, I dont even like the thought of things going up there let alone having 2

I think maybe her mom (the boogeywoman) was waiting until she got her first period so that she could finally show her the ropes for being the next boogeywoman. That’s why her mom lured her to that room and kidnapped the boy because she knew it was time to show her daughter how to steal souls from boys, etc. just like she does.

is no one going to talk about that pizza that died?? that was the scariest part of the video

I like the protagonist's name, Sam Rains. It's similar to Samhain, the pagan religious festival associated with Halloween and witches. Sam Rains also describes her having her first period. Great casting and atmosphere and subtle storytelling in this film. I especially liked the creativity of legend behind why the lights turn off "randomly." The main actress was excellent - hopefully she continues in more features.

I'm confused I basically didn't understand anything in the end like who else thought the boogywoman was going to be a lot more more 100% scary

I didn't understand the story, until I read the description lol

„I would wish sweet dreams, but there aren’t any left.“

Loved this short film. It captures something many of us have felt--a kind of disconnect from our surroundings, being a beat out of step with the greater reality. That tiny space is just enough room for strangeness to come creeping in. Also, ALTER is fantastic. I've seen so many terrific short horror films from you guys that continue to haunt me. Please keep them coming!

I don't know about everybody else, but my favorite part was when Carrie got what was coming to her. It's nice to know Sam's mom was looking out for her.

I didn't have a mother to teach me about periods either..I was 11..I panicked so badly, I genuinely thought I was dying when it happened. But my dad explained everything to me... for some girls it's such a horrible sh*tty time

First of all, RIP to Keenan, the concession stand guy actor.

ALTER. I just want to say something. Thank you. Thank you for everything. ❤

These stories have literally so many loopholes and plot missing but there still so interesting and entertaining

The sound editting is amazing!! And the girl has the face of an angel, besides being a great actress!

The one girl who telling her stuff like how her period is natural and stuff because she don't have her mom is so sweet literally need people like that to tell girls who are lost and don't know anything about their body and how it works

Gonna try and summarize it but this story wasn’t too clear and lacked some details but... A young teen Sam gets her period. She’s a bit confused bc she never grew up with a mom who I think died through childbirth (annoying friend: u killed her!). She’s been kinda learning off her two friends. Nice friend tries to help. Mean friend acts like she’s better and even rubs in that sam has no mother to help her. They go out to skate and Sam starts getting hormonal feelings towards African American boy. Mean friend sees it and decides to kill it by saying u can’t kiss no one while on ur period. Nice friend takes Sam to skate. Good time til lights go out. They go towards the light of the food bar. Get food and they see an injured girl. Caucasian boy blames it on boogie woman. Sams crush the African American boy is disturbed by the crazy amount blood. Mean friend pulls a bitch mood mentioning sams period to everyone. It scares away crush. Nice friend tries to calm her down. Caucasian boy aka jerk boy laughs at her. Anger builds up and Sam throws food at Mean friend. Then mean friend pulls another bitch move. Boogey woman sorta protects her and makes mean friend disappear. Jerk boy and nice Friend are scared. Food guy tells her she looks like the boogey woman probably due to stories of the bgw looks. Sam who’s upset and mad leaves. Jerk boy follows her. Imo I think he followed her due to hormones and try to make a move on Sam (cue to intro when mean friend says u can’t do anything on ur period!). Jerk boy disappears. Sam gets distracted by a room which has the bgw. Imo I think bgw is actually sams mom, her ghost. Bgw takes her shirt off showing Sam the “next steps” to being a woman. Sex. Sam who now has many hormones goes for it in the end. Idk y’all this was confusing 😂

Me: *made something to eat, searched for a horror short film to watch because it is just scary and not disgusting* Movie: *it happened*

A Q&A with director Erica Scoggins: Q: Name a Horror character you relate to on a spiritual/personal level? A: I’m not entirely sure if you’d call David Lynch’s Inland Empire horror, but Laura Dern’s sheer terror as she loses her sense of reality takes my breath away every time. Something about her performance and the bizarre shifts in narrative space-time reminds me of that moment of confusion during a temporal lobe seizure. So I relate on a very personal and spiritual level. Q: You’ve gotta go through some bad ideas to get to the good ones. Tell us one of your bad ideas. How do you get past the bad ones to find your spark? A: I think bad ideas are just vague ideas. I look at old scripts from when I was just starting out and all the beginnings were there. They were just covered in exoskeletons of things already done. It’s kind of like growing up. You have to shed all the images or personas you thought you wanted to be to become who you are. The Boogeywoman as a concept didn’t become fully defined until she got her name. Q: Do you consider yourself part of a horror community? A: Thanks to Fantasia Film Festival this past year, where I met a lot of filmmakers with work on Alter already, I think I’ve found my people. My work as a whole tends to be on the fringes of horror, but the genre is absolutely central to my worldbuilding and atmosphere. Q: When you’re building the world of your film, where do you look for inspiration? A: My neighborhood at nightfall when the fog is rolling across Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. The strange colored light reflecting on empty streets. Quiet small towns as nostalgic arenas for romance and violence. Mythological and religious narratives, rituals, and symbolism sneak in here and there. I like to create worlds that are our own but once removed so that the augmented psychological state of the character seems wholly imaginable in the onscreen space. Sonic inspiration: Evangelista and 90s industrial. Visual: The photography of Bill Henson and Todd Hido Literature: John Hawkes, Roberto Bolaño Philosophy: In The Dust of This Planet (and the whole Horror of Philosophy series) by Eugene Thacker. Q: What would you do if you woke up inside of your film? A: First I’d spend some time with Keenan, the concession stand clerk. He passed away after production and every time I see him on screen, I just want to hug his neck. Then he and I would take a bottle of tequila to the Boogeywoman’s lair and plot world domination. Q: Who would be on your ultimate horror villain squad? A: The girl from The Ring on a leather studded leash for safety and Satanico Pandemonium in From Dusk til Dawn. Q: Lightning round: Freddy or Jason? Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft? Practical or CGI? Post Apocalypse or Pre Apocalypse? A: Freddy or Jason: Neither. King or Lovecraft: Both. Practical!!! The apocalypse will be as drawn out as a thick southern accent and we’re already in it. Q: What scares you, and does it inspire your storytelling? A: Loss of self. Loss of grip on reality. Loss of control. I’m both terrified by and drawn to limit experiences-moments when we can step outside of ourselves or catch a glimpse of what might be beyond everyday consciousness, beyond the horizon of human knowledge. Ever since my experience with temporal lobe epilepsy, cinema has been the ultimate tool to recreate that otherworldly feeling. I take that into every story. In the Boogeywoman, the heroine’s loss of control over her own body forces her into a new era to claim a new power. In the feature version of The Boogeywoman, in development now, outside violence rips the protagonist from her complacent consciousness and forces her to recognize the cycles of abuse at play in her family. Her psychological break propels her into a future free of abuse. Q: And finally, Ghostface would like to know ‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’ A: Very difficult. I’m a diehard Lynch fan, and Lost Highway is the unsettling number that put me on the filmmaking trajectory. But I love Korean horror. Park Chan Wook’s Thirst (a vampire spin on Emile Zola’s novel Therese Raquin) and Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing are superb.

Omg they're almost million subscribers! Congratulations ALTER! 👏👏💓💓

Best scene that had me react with sheer delight, was when Sam took her pizza slice oozing with tomato sauce and let that obnoxious girl have it center ice! I'll bet I wasn't the only one saying... Yes!!!

Who else saw their own face in the screen after she yelled "STOP" ?

That was different,wish it was longer. Were the marks on the Boogeywoman from the souls she stole?

The lead actress is EXTRAORDINARILY beautiful, like a real life angel. I hope she will have a wonderful career and make more great movies.

I have never been so confused as I was watching this movie 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥱

wow, the main actress is super pretty! 💖✨

He was creepy following her in the first place....

I'm altered

Wow. This was amazing. Believable dialog delivered by an incredible cast. The powerful understatement of 'not showing' everything was so well done! Kudos to all! :) I would add that period shaming is a total loser move. If you do it, you deserve a visit from the Boogeywoman...

I know everybody has their thing that gets them, but really - that squeal when he sees the little girl. That high pitched shriek cracked me up. What's the backstory with the vendor. I want to know more about him. So sad what happened to the actor.

It’s a decent film that could have been a lot better. Yes, sometimes being vague is good, other times not so much. It’s obvious from the interview with the director that this movie isn’t about interpretation at all, but about something very specific that is unfortunately hindered by a structure and intentional confusion suggesting that there is more to it. It’s a very simple premise and knowing it from the outset makes the film much more coherent and allows it to hit the mark it intends to with maximum impact.. The first time I watched it I did so without any context and it was undermined by searching for a greater context that didn’t exist and by attempting to make sense of disparate elements that were entirely irrelevant. Normally, it’s a mistake to read a full summary before watching any film, but it would have improved this one. It’s frustrating to see a film that deliberately confuses, without any real reason for doing so, and thus unnecessarily undermines the entire thing. I respect the director wanted to convey things a certain way, but I’m not sure it works. You shouldn’t need a summary or an interview to make clear a premise that is highly specific. I understand that the director likes Lynch, but she seems to miss that the reason his films work at all is because they are inherently open to interpretation. From a technical standpoint, however, it works well. The lead, in particular, is quite good; she’s able to convey a whole lot despite very limited dialogue. The sound design is memorable and effective and it achieves a consistent look that compliments the tone.

What an interesting "coming of age" story.

It would've been funny when the girl said "she got her period" and the kid just moonwalked away on the skates

Great production with very relevant social implications. Kudos to director, cast, and crew. I really love these shorts. They don't eat up a lot of time unless you binge watch as I sometimes do. But they are first rate productinos and give nothing away to a full length movie. Also, a belated RIP to Keenan. This is the only production I have seen of his work but no one deserves such an untimely and tragic death.

How do you People manage to make a PHENOMENAL piece of art everyday, ♠️♠️♠️

I came directly to the comments for no reason as soon as I opened this video Oh look, you're here too dw grab popcorn🍿🍿 and snacks. You'll be safe here.

The scariest part was her walking home by herself. At least she could use the skates as a weapon

KZfaq reccomends me period-related things whenever I'm on my period, girl 😭😭😭😭

true that humans can be worse than 'monsters'👏 the tension build up made me think this is gonna be a regular horror movie when at the end she found home at the so called evil. bravo, ALTER!

Slow moving, hard to follow what the writer/director was going for. Sorry, just my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️

What comes next Boogey kid Boogey granny Boogey grandpa Wtf 😂😑

Everyone: focusing on film Me: thinking about how bad I wanna cuddle the husky

Yeaayyy one million subscriber.. Congratulations ALTER

ALTER thanks for all the sleepless nights you've given me. AND congratulations on ... ONE MILLION SUBSCRIBERS!

I feel like I’m the only person thinking about how cute those guys were💀

This is badass! Oozes with tension, real and supernatural. Well done.

The sound in this is absolutely to me the best part! Also she didn't pull the string before making her move on the guy? Pretty brave for a women. Lol

Wow soon it will be 1M subscribers.. congratulations in advance alter 😁

I like the background score and sound effects..

I loved this film, everything about it on every level. It provokes a gamut of emotion and keeps you inthralled and watching till the end wishing for more! I’d also like to say I was sorry to read of the loss of Keenan, he was stellar I enjoyed his character a lot. Hope to see more from you, wishing you much continued success!!

The scariest thing about this short is the 19 minutes I wasted.

She was a lot nicer to the brunette than I would've been...and this reminded me of a David Lynch movie.

For once ALTER you have left me with more questions than answers and also left me confused by the whole thing... Good bloody job..

Girlll I remember my first time I feel bad for her. We know your pain girl, we know

Yaaaay boogeyman and boogeywoman 💖😂🙈

This is the first Short, I totally dont understand 😂

Congrats on 1Mil. Yall deserve it💞

Song that starts at 2:53 is called Horoscope by Jordan Chism on SoundCloud

I didn't understand a thing even after going through the synopsis and the comments.🤷

CONGRATS ON 1 MIL ALTER

This one was super confusing. I appreciate the use of full-on darkness (little or no light after the rink completely blacks out), as that's something I don't see very often. I also appreciate ALTER providing a complete understanding of what went down in this video's description. You tried.

Loved it! Very nuanced & thought-provoking film!

My time was horrible. As if I did a big sin when period came out. For 6 months I've listened my family taunts. When I didn't even know what Period was. I was traumatized by my mother and my sister.

Really good film love when Jake catches Sam glance at him 😄🤗

Came here for crazy horror monster, didn't expect or want to be dragged through dramatic things I've never thought about. -Horror manchild

i binge watch this then get scared but still watch them lmfao.

Congrats #ALTER for 1 Million subscribers... Wish you more ahead💙 keep up the good or i should say 'Scary' work...

Wow this story is just amazing🤗❤️ and congratulations becoz you are almost 1million subscribes on KZfaq alter ❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎊 🤩

Well this one left me scratching my head in confusion.

Is no one going to talk about how pretty Sam is, like she's so beautiful

Congrats on a million subs!! 🎉👏🏼

It's all about mood swings just because of her periods 😂

With the sound effects in most of these, I fully expected a “schlorp” when she stuck it in

Whoever makes these videos ur doing a great job

the sound design really made this work for me. I loved the 'scream that was squeeky trainwheels' as she left skating ring, blinking of the eyes and generally unsettling noises all over this. Confused the hell out of me but a very enjoyable ride nonetheless.

i didn't understand the "metaphor" at the end at all. So she's not really going to have sex with this kid, right? This was supposed to be all innocent and being on the cusp of womanhood. I don't get the clicking eyes. I get NOTHING! And it is frustrating!

This is a coming of age story. This piece of art. Not whatever the hell Cuties is. I am so sorry to speak that name here

And one more thing it was very well put together.

What the heck is great about being held to a period confinement that will last at least 40 years, having PMS, bloating and smelling like rust..YUCK!

I never understand but still love to watch alter

An amazing film. This is one I'll be thinking about for a while.

"You should be excited!!" I sure as hell wasn't😂

I don't get metaphors but still, this was a good short

This was absolutely amazing.

over 10 years and I still wear pads 😂😂 heck, she's lucky she doesn't seem to have cramps, nausea, etc like me 😂

The 2 female friends look so familiar. Especially the one who disappeared.

Well there's 16mins of my life I'll never get back lol

This was an great short film! Well done Alter!

That was intense. GREAT SHORT!

This movie uncounsciouslly reminds me Carrie a lot! Superb movie, btw. Congrats!