IFC Films revealed the official trailer for Stopmotion, the horror film starring Aisling Franciosi as a stop-motion animator whose desire to make something truly special sets off a chain of psychologically disturbed and homicidal events that she can’t stop.

Also starring in the film are Stella Gonet and Tom York.

Release Date

Directed by Robert Morgan, Stopmotion world premiered at Fantastic Fest where Morgan won Best Director, and opens in theaters on February 23 before streaming on Shudder on May 31.

Synopsis

Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella’s mind starts to fracture, the characters in her animated film take on a terrifying life of their own, and the unleashed power of her imagination threatens to destroy her.

Reviews

Giving the film 3 stars in their review, FilmHounds wrote, “What helps keep Stopmotion engaging is the committed performance from Franciosi, some genuinely inspired directorial flair, and the true star of the show: the stop-motion itself. Director Robert Morgan is no stranger to stop-motion projects, and he cleverly plays into the narrative of this young animator working on one herself. The stop-motion sequences are jittery and characters lack minute movements that breathe life into them, but this feels absolutely intentional. In the world of the film, these sequences are created by an animator that is still learning after all, and outside of that the uncanny animation cranks up the tension and uneasiness.”

Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer for Stopmotion.