SAPLING // Short Horror Film (Bloody Cuts) - 2026

Featuring: Kate Braithwaite, Tom Sawyer, Aaron Ward and Jake Botes A grieving mother returns to the cursed woodland where her son vanished, forcing her abusive husband to face the monstrous consequence of the violence he left behind. 'Sapling' is a folk-horror drama about the way trauma is inherited, nurtured, and ultimately transformed. Rooted in the emotional reality of grief and domestic violence, the film uses the language of myth and the natural world to explore how harm can echo through generations, and how confronting it can reshape what a family becomes. A step away from some of the more traditional horror shorts we've made, 'Sapling' still retains the same level of creature effects makeup, and big-screen cinematic ambitions we've always pushed towards with our Bloody Cuts filmmaking team. Though we've been on hiatus for over 6 years, we're excited to be back and can't wait to show our latest horror to a new audience. Directed, produced, written & edited by Ben Franklin and Anthony Melton DOP: Jonny Franklin 1st AC: Ryan Parkins Special FX Makeup: Cliff Wallace Sound: Jonathan Blagrove AMPS Makeup: Christabel Franklin Art Dept.: Kel Winser and Natalie Barrett Visual FX: Ryan Thompson and Anthony Melton Re-recording Mixer: Phil Lee Sound Design: Ben Franklin Score: Hill Valley Hero