Corporate Monster | A Sci-Fi/Horror Short Film by Ruairi Robinson | Short of the Week

From acclaimed filmmaker Ruairi Robinson (Blinky™, The Leviathan) comes a new vision of fantastic horror. After being fired from his job, a dangerously unstable man’s life spirals out of control when he starts to see parasitic beings that puppeteer our world from the shadows.

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CORPORATE MONSTER
FÍS ÉIREANN/SCREEN IRELAND present
In Association with
TITAN II/FLOODLAND PICTURES REBELLION STUDIOS
And
THE KAIJU MEAT COMPANY
A Film Directed By: Ruairi Robinson
www.ruairirirobinson.com

“From New Coke to the New World Order, conspiracy theories are rich throughout history and that stranger you meet in the bar, or family member you get stuck with at a wedding, will rejoice in informing you how the moon landing was filmed in a basement or how The Beatles replaced Paul McCartney after he died. In the age of fake news, where world leaders are the ones fueling these theories, S/W favourite Ruairi Robinson (Blinky™) returns to the site with his own conspiracy story—Corporate Monster.

Inspired by the current state of the world, which Robinson rather aptly describes as “f*cked”, Corporate Monster is the tale of a man who obsessively starts to believe that parasitic creatures are controlling the world. Hidden in the shadows and disguised from the majority of the population, these Zoidbergian beings are pulling all the political strings behind the scenes. The idea of giant decapods hiding behind human faces is obviously far-fetched (though nothing seems impossible nowadays), but the theory that a wealthy elite holds sway over the globe feels much less fictional.

An obvious ode to Carpenter’s cult classic They Live, Corporate Monster was filmed in both Dublin and Detroit, and builds on its eighties inspiration with a retro-tinged production. Frequent Robinson collaborator Macgregor is back behind the lens, and the duo are dynamite here again, deftly handling the quieter paranoid moments and the bombastic action sequences with equal aplomb. Produced with the support of Screen Ireland, this week’s online release comes on a sad note however, as it represents the anniversary of the passing of Robinson’s writing partner Eoin Rogers, and the film is dedicated to his memory.

Robinson is very good at parlaying his viral short films into Hollywood heat, and last we heard from him, the Irish director was in the midst of developing his space-whale short The Leviathan into a feature, with the help of Simon Kinberg and Neill Blomkamp, and we have no doubt that Corporate Monster will attract similar interest. Though we’re still waiting for the longer length version of The Leviathan proof-of-concept, that short did prove inspirational for another feature, with producer Kathleen Kennedy admitting it was influential in their research for the Kessel Run sequence of Solo: A Star Wars Story.” – S/W Curator, Rob Munday

CREDITS
Directed by Ruairi Robinson
Screenplay by Ruairi Robinson & Eoin Rogers
Produced by Nick Ryan
Executive producers Jay Douglas, Ruairi Robinson, Jessica Rudzewicz Associate Producer: Anthony Tai
Starring Kett Turton
Starring Jenna Coleman
Cinematography Macgregor
Music: Steve Moore
Practical Special Effects: David Roddham
Production Designer: Marie Lanna
Sound Design: Brandon Jones
Edited by Ruairi Robinson
Visual Effects: The Kaiju Meat Company

Robert Turner: Kett Turton
Ellen: Jenna Coleman
Senior Partner: Gary Murphy
Doctor Bennings: Patrick J Byrnes
Nurese: Kris Edlund
Little Girl: Megan Woods Kegan
Business Man: Mike Kelly
Creature: Alphonso Cox
Vagrant: Jimmy Doom
Cop Thing: Raffi Elias

Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the Filmmakers