ELIMINATION STRAIN | a horror Proof of concept

TAGLINE: If you get this text, you'll soon die

LOGLINE: A masked psychopath terrorizes a young couple through eerie texts, then appears inside their home, forcing them to fight for their lives.

Elimination Strain is a gripping suspense-thriller about a young couple who are terrorized by a masked psychopath. It all begins when the boyfriend starts receiving creepy and mysterious text messages from an unknown number while he's preparing to go for a run after his girlfriend declines, saying she just wants to be lazy, and stays upstairs listening to music and painting her nails. The tension escalates when a stranger in a hazmat suit suddenly appears inside their home, turning their once peaceful day into a fight for survival.

Shot in Brooklyn in 2 days, Elimination Strain was filmed using the ARRI Alexa Mini and vintage Anamorphic lenses to give it a cinematic, immersive horror aesthetic. The result is a moody and stylized thriller that captures both intimacy and dread. The film blends traditional horror elements with modern anxieties, including our growing dependence on technology and the isolation it can create.

Elimination Strain is more than just a short film — it's a proof of concept for a feature-length horror screenplay now completed by Christopher Wells. The expanded story centers around a female protagonist who is thrust into a world where obsession and technology are the driving forces of her antagonist.

Thanks for checking out the proof-of-concept short Elimination Strain, shot right here in Brooklyn. This horror project came to life with an amazing cast and crew who share a passion for the twisted. Watch more indie horror and genre shorts on our YouTube channel and leave a comment so we can reply!