Director Bianca Poletti is stepping into horror. In her short film Video Barn, two young women work at a small town’s gloomy and deserted video store. And when one of them goes missing due to mysterious circumstances tied to the store, it’s up to the other to find her. What follows in this short film, that premiered at SXSW this year, is a haunting tale that reminds the viewer of classics like The Ring and One Missed Call.
Fangirlish spoke with director Bianca Poletti about her horror short Video Barn. While breaking down the short film, Poletti shared the inspiration behind the film, horror as a genre and why people love it so much, and what advice she has for people that are just starting out. And since this is Women’s History Month, we also talked about the importance of telling women-centric stories.
When it comes to what inspired Video Barn, Poletti gave flowers to iconic shows that pushed the boundaries of filmmaking. “I’m a huge fan of The Twilight Zone and Twin Peaks, and I really wanted to make a film about two misfit girls in a small, unknown town who work at a VHS shop—where something mysterious begins to unfold around them.” And once the idea took ahold in her mind, “it grew into something even bigger.”
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Inspiration for Video Barn also came from Poletti’s love for horror in general. “Growing up, I ran to the movies every weekend with a group of friends to watch the latest scary release—it was our tradition. And I still do that as an adult. There’s something thrilling about going into a movie, not knowing what’s going to happen, but knowing that at some point, you’re going to feel uncomfortable.”
For her, horror is thrilling because you can experience it with an audience. But also, sometimes not a drop of blood needs to be seen for you to be scared. That’s what Video Barn does. There’s no blood. There’s no gore. But somehow you have this terrifying story about a mysterious tape that traps, steals, and transforms. “There’s so much to play with visually in horror, and I think it’s such an exciting genre.”
You would think with Poletti’s love for horror, that she would’ve done a horror film before. But this is her first one. “I tend to genre-hop a lot in my films because, to be honest, I love every genre,” Poletti said before continuing, “I’m drawn to whatever the best story is rather than sticking to one category. But right now, I’m really enjoying being in the horror space and experimenting with different storytelling techniques.”
MORE: Since it’s Women’s History Month, here are 10 horror short films centered around unstoppable women.
For those in film, or interested in film, Poletti also has some advice for your first film. Create. “The more you create, the better you’ll get. And build your film family—find the people you love working with, who share your passion, and who inspire you to push your creative limits.” And if you happen to be a women, as this is Women’s History Month, remember that women are so complex and deserve to have their stories told. “Women are so complex—when you really dive into their experiences, you uncover landscapes and layers that make them absolutely fascinating to watch and write about.
So create. Whether it be horror, comedy, or drama. Create.
Video Barn premiered at SXSW 2025.
