Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: “Silver Screamers” – A Heartfelt Horror Adventure!

What is one of the hardest parts of filmmaking? According to seniors at a local senior center in Ontario the hardest part is “finding the patience.” Silver Screamers, a documentary film following a group of senior citizens helping to put together a short horror film, begins with director Sean Cisterna indicating that it is so difficult to find funding for indie films. It is a grueling process to create a script and find a cast and crew for a short film. But what is the most difficult is finding the money to bring their film to screen. Not only is patience required once a film gets going but finding the patience to get a film going is even more challenging.

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Film has reached a point where studios are beginning to only fund “sure things,” like franchises, films with already verified IPs, and sequels or prequels. To take a risk on film is a concept that is dying with every year that streaming dominates and audiences want to make the “comfortable choice” at the cinema. Silver Screamers takes the idea of patience in so many facets including the patience of filmmakers making the film they wish for, the patience of the filmmaking process, and the patience of the crew to allow seniors to participate in an adventure that ultimately changes their perspective on film and the filmmakers perspective on what seniors are capable of.

At a local retirement community in Ontario, Canada director Sean Cisterna poses the opportunity for seniors ready for adventure to join him in creating a short horror film by pooling a diverse group of seniors all with specific talents they have developed in their younger years. Looking for the opportunity to stretch their creative muscles and learn something new, Silver Screamers is a heartfelt and worthwhile experience in its filmmaking and concept seeing everyone involved learn something from one another.

As the film documents how the seniors get involved with the film it also explores each member’s life and their want and need for new experiences in their golden years. As the film progresses it becomes obvious that the central idea of the doc becomes about how we can learn so much from humans, especially seniors, with life experience and the willingness to communicate with us as much as our willingness to listen.

A beautiful sentiment that shines through in the documentary is that at the end of the day, the magic comes from the people making a film and how each individual’s skills and experiences play a part in the development of such a wonderful piece of art. Just as much as when we go see a blockbuster and see the infinite amount of names in the credits of people who worked on and behind the camera, the magic onscreen comes from the endless amount of hours and patience from every individual involved from the director and cinematographer, to the foley artists and score composers.

Hearing the senior’s stories and how they got just as much out of the experience as the filmmakers did by working with them, brings a warmth to the documentary that signifies why filmmaking is one of the most powerful forms of art. ​The short film The Rug that is at the center of the documentary is an enjoyable and even comedic short film taking on the idea of sweeping problems “under the rug” rather than dealing with them. The eerie score featuring the voices of the retirement community works perfectly to embody the feel of the short. By seeing how the props, effects, and makeup is put together in the documentary, it makes it even that much more impressive watching the end result of The Rug.

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It follows Edna who is visited by her landlord collecting the rent, which she does not have. When he goes searching for it Edna decides that she must take matters into her own hands with the help of a new “killer” rug she picked up off the street. The short is evenly paced and has just enough frights and comedy to entertain audiences. Seeing the final product after watching the documentary was a joy in itself. Silver Screamers is a testament to the joys and tribulations of filmmaking but always shows that no matter how small, cinema is a beautiful experience to watch and be a part of.

‘Silver Screamers’ Rating – 3.5/5