A young woman’s fear of the outside world is nothing compared to what she will soon find inside her own home.Writer-director Mark Dossett pays homage to old-school 80’s horror flicks by setting his film in 1988.

Due to a horrific attack in 1987, 26 year old Laurie Ann Cullom (Shannon Scott) has become completely terrified of the outside world. She finds comfort by moving back home with her divorced mother and living her life safely behind locked doors and windows.

However, when her mom is away on a business trip, Laurie starts to notice that things are out of place and she may not be alone. She must overcome her paralyzing fear of the outside world or face the evil presence that is stalking her from the shadows.

Writer/Director Mark Dossett says, “When I saw Shannon’s online audition, she was the only actress out of 150 that made me really feel she was truly terrified and I didn’t want to see her get hurt. To me, that had to be the most important aspect of the character in order for the audience to care about her as well. One of the cool things about doing an independent film is that you get to break the rules. I decided to shoot this film sequentially because I wanted the audience to warm up to Shannon at the same time as she warmed up to the camera. I truly feel her talent gets stronger with every minute that passes by on screen. She actually plays 2 on screen characters because she is that good!”

Basing his film in the late 80’s affords Mark to remind us of a time when the immediacy of such items as the internet and cell phones were not available. A time that, while simpler, was in many ways more dangerous.

The Torment Of Laurie Ann Cullom marks the feature film debut of lead actress Shannon Scott and writer – director Mark Dossett.

THE TORMENT OF LAURIE ANN CULLOM was shot in Apopka and Ocala Florida. The film was made with a skeleton crew of 3 people which consisted of the director, lead actress and a boom operator. The most people ever on set at one time was 5.

 

INDIE SPOTLIGHT: THE TORMENT OF LAURIE ANN CULLOM