ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
Clara is an aspiring acting intern at the 13th St. Scare Theater where she is offered the role of a lifetime, but the starring part comes with a permanent pair of fangs.

SYNOPSIS
Clara comes to New York for her acting internship at The Scare, a horror-themed theater on 13th Street. The Scare is run by a charismatic woman named Zilla who takes a special interest in Clara. She casts her in the starring role in their fall production, a play about Judith of Bethulia. Performing the heroic lead would be dream come true for Clara. She’s determined to do whatever it takes including a midnight ritual in a cemetery. At the ritual, Clara starts having visions. She later learns they are from the play. Clara is seeing through Judith’s eyes. Suddenly, Clara wakes up on opening night unable to remember the last five weeks. Oh, and she’s also a vampire now. If she performs in the show, it will complete her transformation. Terrified, Clara runs away. Zilla swoops in, confesses she is Judith and gets Clara to reconsider. Being a vampire is more than drinking blood. It’s also healing and fighting tyranny like Judith did in her mortal life. Clara decides to stay. She completes her transformation and joins the Scare family of vampires.

Similar to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Judith of Bethulia impaled her vanquished enemy’s head on a pike on the town wall. This demoralized his troops and rallied hers. Judith is the perfect person to layer a Feminist vampire myth onto, giving our modern-day Vampiress historical gravitas and a deep connection to ritual. Judith has been forgotten by much of history because women are punished for being powerful and embracing their sexuality, which Judith did to save her people. 13TH ST SCARE doesn’t end with Judith or Clara getting a stake through the heart. Instead, they team up and get their bloody happy ending.

PROJECT TYPE Narrative Feature

DIRECTOR Cecilia Copeland
SCREENWRITER Cecilia Copeland
PRODUCER Cecilia Copeland, Guillermo Iván, Natasha Coppola-Shalom, Tiffany Fisher-Love
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Ami Copeland

WEBSITE ceciliacopeland.com/