THE STORY

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When high school cheerleader, Laurie, is asked out by the dreamy quarterback, her

budding physical attraction is plagued by a grisly manifestation of her own bodily

insecurities. As the threat of intimacy closes in, Laurie is pushed further

and further into a self-destructive nightmare.

 

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DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

 

‘Pigskin’ is our thesis film from the Florida State University Film School. My friend and

creative collaborator, Nicola Newton, and I wanted to further explore the idea of terrible things disturbing idyllic settings. Together we wrote a story revolving around a seemingly normal high school cheerleader hiding a deeply rooted secret – one that manifests physically from her own bodily insecurities. The images, sounds, and overall tone of the film are influenced by 70s and 80s high school horror flicks like ‘Carrie’, ‘Halloween’, and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. We wanted to build this nostalgic, colorful, innocent suburban-America world and then tear it all away to expose something very sinister hiding in plain sight. While paying homage to the films I grew up watching and adoring, ‘Pigskin’ also plays further upon ideas of repression, insecurity, and sexual anxiety – as seen through the eyes of Laurie, the film’s protagonist. Nicola and I aimed to create something that is frightening and

genuine, but also fun and highly energetic.

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- Dir. Jake Hammond