Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Outside: Horror short filmed in lockdown effectively plays on quarantine fears

Actors – and married couple – Amy Acker and James Carpinello have used their time productively

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 27 August 2020 10:27 BST
Comments
Amy Acker as Fred in TV show Angel

A tense horror short, written and filmed in lockdown, effectively plays on quarantine fears.

Titled Outside, the film – written by actor Amy Acker – follows a woman who starts to question the reality of a threat keeping her inside her home.

Before long, she believes her husband – played by her real-life husband James Carpinello – might be holding her prisoner, prompting her to plot her escape.

Acker is best known for her roles in TV shows Angel and Person of Interest as well as Joss Whedon‘s low-budget adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.

In Angel, she starred opposite David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof and J August Richards as Winifred ”Fred” Berkle.

Broadway star Carpinello has appeared in shows including The Good Wife, The Blacklist and The Gifted.

The pair, who have been married since 2003, directed Outside together. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly following its release in July, Acker revealed the film was shot entirely using Carpinello’s iPhone.

“We were constantly afraid,” she said. “This is James’ 7-year-old, maybe 8-year old iPhone. We were like, ‘This is going to blow up your phone...’ There was so much content.”

Watch the film below:

The pair are hoping to bring Outside to festivals once they kick off again following the pandemic.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in