The Stranger - Christmas Horror Short Film

Imagine if you came home for Christmas and a stranger was claiming to be your sister...
A psychological thriller / horror short film.
Please watch with headphones!
Directed by Katherine Oostman
Written by Carolina Garrigo & Katherine Oostman
Produced by Rika Dharmesh Bhakta
Starring . . .
Melissa Saint-Amand as BLAKE
Autumn Dial as LILY
Ashley LeConte Campbell as TRUDY
Cinematography by Layne Inselman
Edited by Carolina Garrigo
Sound Design by Katherine Oostman
Original Score by David Urbinati
For behind the scenes, follow @cine.rin: / cine.rin
#spooky #christmas #thriller

[@KatherineOostman]

If you liked this film, check out my new short, The Lookout: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpvJq4mYi71_h7s

[@elizabethgaspodnetich4322]

Bravo! I just watched your other short, and this one was great too! You had be captivated, but questioning! I don't know what I would do in that situation. It would seem to me that she may be able to sway the mother, but all those other people too? I will be thinking about this for a while that's for sure! Keep it up!! I will be waiting for your next movie!

[@TrentDuncan]

Nice work Katherine. Both this and the Lookout were well done. Keep on shooting!

[@DanMcClarren]

It would be so cool if you made a sequel to this and then she found out that she's stuck in some alternate universe

[@marytermini1381]

This needs a Part 2. Was Lily really her sister, or is she someone / something that has altered everyone's mind except Blake's. At first, her friend agreed that she was an only child. But once he came to the house for Christmas, he, too thought that Lily was Blake's sister. Crazy!!!

[@kimberlytaylor3808]

Blake's tears at the end...chills! I love that I could insert myself in every single character of the script!

[@KatherineOostman]

Ah! Thank you! Melissa is the most talented lady. She gave so much in that last scene pounding on the glass that she accidentally cracked the window. You can kind of see it in Lily's shot of the last scene!

[@raymondweston8997]

This was one of the BEST short films, that I have watched in a long time. Kudos to everyone involved. It had me captivated, from the first few minutes.

[@KatherineOostman]

Ahhh! So kind! Thank you for watching and your lovely words. We appreciate you!

[@kevinkupcho4814]

Great film. That pulsating sound set the mood. I was suspicious of Lily from the start. Then at the end, I thought “was this all in her head?”

[@KatherineOostman]

Yes!!! Thanks so much for watching, Kevin! We were hoping to build in that uncertainty so I'm so glad you felt that way!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much for watching our little film! The best way you can help support independent filmmakers is by sharing their work. If you liked this spooky short, please pass it on!

[@thefurrybastard1964]

Good movie. I like the duality of the ending. On one hand the sister could be some kind of invasive superntural entity, yet on the other hand Blake could be suffering some kind of psychotic episode and that actually is her sister.

[@MisterY81b]

Uhm, this can turn off good: - life sucks, you run away from your family for good reasons; - you come back 3 years later, you find a stranger pretending to be your sister; - everyone knows she's your sister cause she managed to change memories of everyone; - you accept she broadcasts happy and good memories to you too; - finally you can live a normal life in your family. Is it better to live in your real nightmare or is it better to live in a fake wonderful dream?

[@KatherineOostman]

So glad you got that from the short! The feature script we have dives deep into that very question. It's a big one and I think a lot of us can relate to it. Thank you for watching!

[@florianegaellecrespin2756]

I want the producers to write a whole script, a full horror film, because this first short part has so much potential!!! Love it, it kept me tense every seconds.

[@eaglevision9791]

From a long time fan of horror films...i must say, “Well Done.” As with anything good, i wanted the story to keep going but i was glad it didn’t. i have seen a handful of good ones recently but this one wins 1st place. The reason I’m glad it stopped when it did..mainly, for what i thought it meant...was damn near perfect. Here’s what i saw: The sister that comes back home, to a wall of photo-less frames, a sister she didn’t recognize, a mother who is seemingly on edge, strange and uneven conversations, bad hallucinations, etc....She died of a drug overdose. And now she begins an unimaginably, heart wrenching, emotional loop..in hell. Always locked out. every.single.time.

[@KatherineOostman]

That is so incredibly wonderous to hear as a creator. Thank you. I've heard many interpretations of this story and I positively ADORE this vision of it. Such a chilling thought, isn't it? I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching!

[@TessaLCastro1216]

The acting was excellent & very authentic. At first...when the film starts, I right away thought that the girl coming to the house, was impersonating a long lost daughter that the mother might've given up years ago. Because of her expression & that she was gripping on to the suitcase handle. As the film moved along, I started getting some "Summer of Fear"(1978) vibes from everyone, especially the blonde girl. I hadn't realized that literally gripping onto my phone while watching this. Your actors definitely leave an impression, Katherine. Glad that found your channel!

[@KatherineOostman]

I'm so glad it drew you in! Thank you for watching and the kind words.

[@CompunctionTime]

Wow, I like how you made each scene count, showing each and every action the MC was taking. This worked really well with the music to build the suspense! Well done to you and every involved.

[@CompunctionTime]

Great acting!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much for watching and your kind words! Fingers crossed we get to make the feature version for you someday! :)

[@CompunctionTime]

@@KatherineOostman Awesome, I will be on the lookout for it, GL

[@JulianTerry]

I love this film so much! The performances, the dialogue, the directing, work so well together. That moment at the end still gets under my skin! So off-putting. You have an amazing career ahead of you Rin!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks, Julian! That means so much coming from you. :)

[@detrajackson5992]

WOW! This was an AMAZING short!! I was reading a few comments from others with their perspectives on what happened so here is mine: She is very intelligent or has a talent of some sort (sheriff called her prodigy...) Her family was well off but the small town her family is in has no opportunities so all she did was complain, be rebellious and started using drugs or alcohol, there was an accident where she caused her father to die. She left the town to go to rehab or something but never came back. Her sister was left with her mom to pick up the pieces and survive so they pretended she didn't exist and so did many in the town. They did not forgive her which is why she got the reception upon her return and kind of ignored her when she opened the door.No one wanted to deal with her outburst during the holiday dinner so they put her out the house and treated her like a belligerent STRANGER! Idk how I did with that but this was really good!!!

[@KatherineOostman]

Some great stuff in here! Love to hear this and see what you interpreted. A lot of it is very in keeping with our back story for Blake. We have written the feature script (which is even more of a wild ride) and hope to make it for you all soon. In the mean time, thank you for watching and please share the short with you friends and family and see what they think!

[@ashishkaushik1790]

+Detra Absolutely awesome interpretation...helped me better understand the film.

[@jamesforsyth1701]

I hope you guys make a second part.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you! We have a feature script that has even more Christmas spookiness / mind-bending moments. Fingers crossed we get to make that for you guys one day soon!

[@SilentHillMama]

Great short! Brilliant acting! I'm wondering if Blake has Dissociative (Selective) Amnesia to go along with her imposter sister & if somehow Lily knows about it, using it to her advantage. She implants fake memories into Blake, as well as almost everyone else connected with the fam. But bcuz of Blake's prior addiction or meds or whatever, she's relatively immune against these tricks (she looks confused in these little memory pops bcuz she knows it feels wrong). I say almost everyone, bcuz the dude in town even said to her "Aren't you an only child?", until he too was brainwashed. Or if Lily is her real sis & Blake's imaginings are just that... her imagination. But Blake has coupled her imagined slights (ie: no pics of her) & the "mom control" with her Dissociative Disorder & we get one daughter who thinks she isn't good enough or blames herself for the family's past trauma & another who wants all the attention. Or if she's in a coma, dream-controlling diff parallel universes. Or if she's dead & this is her personal hell on repeat. Or if she's in the booby-hatch & all these scenarios are taking turns thru her mind, sometimes combining with each other. Or she's dead for real & this is still her horrible personal hell. Ima stop now bcuz I've got loads of theories.😆 But I'd love to see her real story answered in a more fleshed-out feature! ❗SPOILERS BELOW❗ (For a diff movie) EDIT: Are you the same Katherine that directed Nightlight Pictures "The Lookout"? (I don't use links from 1 movie to another; I set up a bunch & watch as they play thru my list.) Apologies if not, but if so, why did she not have a rifle or hiking boots when she left the view shed?? We all know it's a given bcuz the 'fire lookout' usually has to hike in a ways to reach the lookout tower, so Ima pretend those 2 things were forgotten by accident!😄 It's very short, even for a short, but hopefully you'll have a wicked story for the feature! Even tho it's super short, it can stand on its own! Altho for a feature, I'd tone down the very loud spiccato violin bowing until after she plucks the spider web-rope (the intro is awesome!). Fire lookouts are a hardy bunch & don't scare easily so maybe she was just briefly covering someone else's tower due to a family emerg or something. She was great but a touch too timid for someone who can work up to 10 hrs/day, 6 days/wk & lives there with no electricity or running water; she needs diff direction to emulate someone who's comfy out there all the time... alone. Just imho, no offense.😊

[@KatherineOostman]

Appreciate your thoughts and thank you for watching both my films! (Yes, I also directed The Lookout). Love reading your theories for The Stranger - we wanted to create a film that keep viewers thinking afterward and it looks like we succeeded! :)

[@loveland2556]

This was so good I loved every minute of it, for a short film not only said a lot, but it gave a lot! Very good.

[@KatherineOostman]

Appreciate you! Thanks so much for watching and glad you enjoyed it!

[@thetabitha1996]

This was so good! Really emotional and investing, great work!

[@KatherineOostman]

So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching!

[@alysaidarivera6338]

Amazing!! Loved it!!! Thank you so much for this short!! I really was intrigued by every moment!! You, my dear, have a gift!! I felt her pain but then was confused too like what if it's all in her mind? But the end when she gave that cringy smile made me believe & also feel so bad for Blake! Thank you! One of my favorite!!

[@KatherineOostman]

I'm so glad! That's the feeling we were hoping for. Thank you so much for watching!

[@A.L.Gardner]

That was amazing. Alien cuckoo in the nest? So many takes on this. Well done

[@robertreber8296]

Watched both, The Lookout and The Stranger. Pretty good. I like them. Don't stop. Your imagination is desirable.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you very much for taking the time. Glad you enjoyed the films!

[@GradKat]

This reminds me of a short story I read - infuriatingly, I can’t remember either the title or the author! - about a young woman who runs away from home on the eve of her sister’s wedding. She returns three years later but her family don’t recognise her and insist she is not their missing daughter. I’m not saying this movie was based on that, but its rather surreal quality reminds me of that story. Very good, anyway - great performance by the lead actress!

[@KatherineOostman]

I love stuff like that! Let me know if you remember the short story's name. Would love to read it! Twilight Zone - esq stuff is always so fun and spooky! Thanks for watching!

[@GradKat]

Finally remembered! - it’s “Louisa Please Come Home” by Shirley Jackson.

[@KatherineOostman]

@@GradKat LOVE Shirley Jackson. Thanks so much for the recommend!

[@humblyright]

emotional dialogue with intimate character interaction plus excellent sound design kept me on the edge of my iPad!

[@KatherineOostman]

That is what directors LOVE to hear. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch. :)

[@timbutler5033]

Holy crap this was good. It was the best short film I've seen so far, and I've seen quite a few good ones. You really put some time and effort into this one, and the acting by everyone involved was amazing!!

[@KatherineOostman]

Ah! So very kind. We wanted to make something scary but grounded in complex characters / family relationships. Glad you enjoyed it and saw the love that went into it!

[@philschuler9674]

Wow what a story line. This idea could be a full length movie, thanks for posting.

[@KatherineOostman]

That's the dream! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch. Appreciate you!

[@orsolyaritter7292]

Congratulations! Fascinating! Hope you will have thousands of viewers. Congrats to the actors as well!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank so much for watching. So very glad you enjoyed it.

[@Unknown-bq9id]

I thought it was building to an ending similar to the 1970s movie One of My Wives is Missing, and it would turn out that Blake DID have a sister named Lily, but that she actually killed her (out of jealousy or wanting to be an only child), and this whole plan was a trap to get Blake to admit what she did... Just retweak the movie, and that's what you could get...

[@c.x.l]

You are so beyond talented ! the story: amazing ! The cinematography: amazing! You: amazingggg!!!!

[@KatherineOostman]

So kind! Thank you for watching and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@rachelannettehelson2023]

Really fun watch! Great work by all.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks so much, Rachel! That means the world!

[@joanwallace1373]

You've done it again. Great one. Sad but great.

[@jacoblawrence6580]

This was awesome! What camera did you use? I have always wanted to make films but I am having trouble deciding what camera to get. I can't decide between a DSLR or a mirrorless. Thanks for any help you can give me. Keep up the awesome work!

[@KatherineOostman]

This was shot on a Red. But many of my latest films are shot on a Sony A7. Definitely matters more how you develop what's in frame vs. the camera itself, I find!

[@MaryRBonney]

Fantastic short! Bravo!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much for watching! We appreciate you!

[@kierskifilms1207]

I watched this one a while ago. Loved it!

[@rofavilla]

awesome, it could be a very cool series concept. well done

[@brandxmusic126]

this was VERY well done!

[@KatherineOostman]

So incredibly kind! Thank you for taking the time to watch!

[@brandxmusic126]

@@KatherineOostman you don't have to, but if you would check out mine, that would be super awesome! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpXEd3mvd9Wbj8k

[@christibarrick1768]

Blake is a terrific actress!!!!

[@FlowerLady-tv3ys]

Now that was different. I enjoyed that. A different twist at the ending!

[@KatherineOostman]

Hurray! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to watch.

[@ALIENIGHTMARE]

Well, i won't call this one a horror, it was interesting and mysterious, a bit dramatic but not scary at all. Still it was well made, great acting, and intense moments... sometimes it was kinda hard to hear the voices and then spooky music played a bit too loud, but the whole idea was great, i would lovely watch a part 2 😆

[@tyrell25ful]

I enjoyed this for the most part. Some parts felt off. Nice job.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks so much for watching! We definitely have learned a lot since making this one (back in 2017!) and are excited to share some of our other work which hopefully only gets even better. :)

[@denatabatabaeian317]

Wow! Amazing work to all!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you!

[@BatraGurvansh]

Woah I really like the film, not sure i had seen this before; but me, myself being a small creator made a similar kind of film on channel. Cheers to the people involved in this. It’s really amazing !

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much for watching! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@georginajones8594]

The girl:im ur sister Her:i dont have a sister

[@sammyfanai8263]

What a great movie!!

[@KatherineOostman]

So kind! Thank you for taking the time to watch!

[@kareneastman9695]

What .Poor person who was slapped by her.😲She is mean.At first,I assumed she was sweet.

[@mamlak4714]

Thank you

[@brandih9802]

Omg can I please get a part 2?!

[@mitlowell]

yikes! great work.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much! Glad you found it spooky!

[@b-radsadventures6846]

Outstanding!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you! Appreciate you taking the time to watch! It means the world.

[@Shadow-jn9yv]

That was good, damn good!

[@KatherineOostman]

Awe! Thank you so much!

[@roccgg]

Well done ✔

[@Method818]

Good work 👍👍

[@KatherineOostman]

Ah! Thanks so much. Appreciate you taking the time to watch!

[@martareis6198]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@michaelwilson3631]

This girl has some control of all them I believe she's not her daughter and drake is that girl is really strange and gorgeous 🤔

[@diontaedaughtry974]

Great film good job 👍👍

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks so much!

[@YouTube.Viewer.Watching]

Amazing. 👍👍

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much!

[@angieg4447]

So many questions.

[@AK_XIII]

Fantastic.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much! Massively appreciate you taking the time to watch!

[@nicolem7258]

This. 👏👏

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks so much for watching!!!

[@trishazechel8402]

Was she seeing herself for who she really is?

[@luizalmeida9399]

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[@humbertojimmy]

Now this is just cruel! I sit through this (rather well directed) short, wanting to see how the plot will undo its own knots, and then it ends in that "make of it what you will" kind of way. So much is left to be answered.

[@KatherineOostman]

You're right! Super cruel of us to do to you, you wonderful viewer! We did it that way because we wanted it to also work as a "proof of concept" for the feature script we have. And we didn't want to give too much away. Hopefully we can make the feature soon and give you the whole story! :) Thanks for watching!!!

[@humbertojimmy]

@@KatherineOostman I'm starting to like it already :-) i really hope it comes forward. Thanks for the reply.

[@KatherineOostman]

@@humbertojimmy Absolutely. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to watch our spooky little Christmas film!

[@Dokiidokii123]

I came from a FB post made on Creppypasta around 12 hours ago. I gotta say one of these characters seem familiar

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks so much for watching! Uh oh! Hopefully there are no Lily's lurking in your life. :)

[@dungeonentertainment6643]

oh god that was twisted in the best of ways.

[@KatherineOostman]

Hurray! So glad you enjoyed it's spookiness! :)

[@StudioFestOfficial]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@brettsmith5903]

Great phsycological thriller here.

[@KatherineOostman]

Thanks so much!!!!

[@gorakhnath8502]

Interesting.

[@toshio7762]

Hello hey great job not bad.

[@ambreenfatima6868]

👍❤

[@munderpool]

Great story, great acting - especially Blake! What a necessarily hopeless situation! I liked the touch with the empty picture frames. You need to make 90-minute horror films based on this and 'The Lookout'. While some may say everything has been done, I believe you'll find a way around that gloomy bump in the road!

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you so much! This means a lot to me that you want to see more of the stories I'm making. Here's to hoping that one day I'll have the opportunity to make these into features! :)

[@tinaj1816]

Boy that was bad, not bad as in terrible I meant bad for Blake. The ending was sad, but it was very entertaining though!

[@KatherineOostman]

Haha! Bad way to end Christmas, for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@tinaj1816]

@@KatherineOostman You are so very welcome👍🏽

[@claudiaaquino7895]

Coloca a legenda em português por favor.🇧🇷

[@kenzieandcurtis]

Nice short film, really creative idea! Love your work! I make short films also. Maybe we can collab sometime!

[@KatherineOostman]

Hey Curtis! Thanks so much. Always thrilled to meet new filmmaking friends.

[@viktoriasarinafan7983]

😍

[@KatherineOostman]

Thank you for watching!!!

[@kellyoostman]

Did you write this about me?

[@KatherineOostman]

I'll never tell... ;)

[@luiscavalcanti3431]

Who’s the crazy after all ?

[@KatherineOostman]

Probably all of them. ;) Thanks for watching!

[@noahh.ridess]

is the mom the mom from the original home alone?

[@abhijithmk698]

I didn't get the story.

[@liquidflamepoetry]

I absolutely love this :) can you make one for one of my poems? I know my poetry can be turned into one :) I post them on my channel. I would've asked the mom "what do we have left to build on and grow from?"

[@missprettyschannel]

0:30 whoever is responsible for doing her make-up did her wrong.

[@KatherineOostman]

Haha! Blake is bad at several things: making things right with her mom and doing her makeup. I think there's a quote from Steel Magnolias about how when a character gets nervous, she teases her hair until it looks ridiculous... Blake's like that with the eye shadow, I guess. ;)

[@Soulfly93]

And what ? Who's she?😂😂

[@stevelee5291]

boy, this one sucked, good acting though

[@luizalmeida9399]

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