“You have to help me. I think there’s a killer living next-door.”
HORROR, THRILLER | JAPANESE, ENGLISH | 100 MINS | IN DEVELOPMENT
“A short version of THE SILENT SCREAM had its world premiere at the 2017 Sitges International Film Festival, which led to developing the concept into a feature project.”
INTRO
After moving to a remote Japanese coastal town, Alice begins hearing strange sounds next-door, leading her to believe that she might be living next to a killer who records the screams of his victims.
ALICE TSENG was once a popular pop singer, but is now recovering from recent throat surgery, leaving her mostly voiceless. She decides to move as far away as possible, to Murayama, a remote Japanese coastal village to recover and rebuild her voice. Late one night she hears what sounds like a murder next-door.
No one in the town believes or understands her pleas. She can’t speak Japanese and no one can speak English except for Shun, a local choirboy. She confides him in the sounds she’s been hearing and the paranoia she feels. He believes her and together they make a pact to uncover the mystery surrounding Murayama.
They learn that Murayama used to be a film town years ago, where local film productions came to shoot their B-movie horror & science-fiction pictures. But after time the film productions left Murayama, leaving behind empty film sets, sound stages, and a local crew that took on local work.
They discover more about her neighbor, the Engineer. He used to be a film sound designer years ago…and perhaps a killer. He apparently used to record the screams of his victims and use them in his film work.
He now wants to capture Alice’s scream, once her voice is healed…
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
The heart of our story is about being trapped in a foreign place without the ability to call or cry out for help.
A good horror story is one that not only frightens but also explores a real-world anxiety we could face in our everyday lives. Being trapped & helpless in a foreign world without the ability to communicate is an anxiety anyone can imagine, and is pushed to its horrific extreme in our story.
Alice’s inability to understand the language & culture around her also reflects the same mindset of the audience, who struggle to understand those around Alice, yet feel the same urge to uncover the terrifying mystery surrounding Murayama.
DIRECTOR BIO
ARIF KHAN is a British writer & director, based in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
He’s held roles at Universal Studios Japan, Warner Bros. Animation and Oculus Story Studio, the Emmy Award-winning team dedicated to the research and development of virtual reality storytelling.
His recent VR experiences include Fukushima Now, which had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, and Black Ice, which premiered at SXSW 2022.
His films and VR projects have screened at festivals around the world including the Sitges International Film Festival, SIGGRAPH, Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, Kaohsiung Film Festival, Imagine Film Festival, and Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg.
His current work at Universal Studios Japan has him directing immersive projects for Demon Slayer, SPYxFAMILY, as well as other global Japanese animation brands.
Prior to receiving his M.F.A. in Film Production at USC – School of Cinematic Arts, he earned his Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge.