Enter Yog-Sothoth…

Lovecraftian Inspired Short Film By Self-Taught Parisian Film Maker

Take the whirlwind psychological horror worlds created by H.P. Lovecraft. Transport them into a modern-day cine-story of a girl under hypnosis. You’re left with a mesmerising short film, Behind, a blend unique to a relatively new face on the film-scene.

Introducing Kendy Ty, a 42-year old Parisian film director, who began making films six years ago for fun. Using minimal equipment (a tiny Canon 550d with a 30mm Sigma f1.4) and all natural lighting, Kendy wrote the script and directed the suspenseful short film all himself. “I am a one man band,” he tells us. “I direct and I am my own Director of Photography. For the scenes with dialogue, another person was there, Jean François Mabire, the sound engineer!”

Using a compelling narrative style that “gives clues,” as Kendy explains, a young woman suffers from strange recollections of the Iran-Iraq war. Her state of hypnosis is reflective of the impact the movie has on its spectator. We are drawn into a plot that grips us with unexpected twists.

“I don’t tell the whole story in an obvious manner, but give clues so that each spectator can interpret the movie in their own way.”

Fans of H.P. Lovecraft will no doubt find much to love about Kendy’s fantastic world. It’s a thrilling ride, full of tension and suspense. It sharply switches between onerous tones, a hallmark of the immense creativity of the sound design, and images of serenity, as we enter the flickering memories of the protagonist. An immersive world that is bound to leave your skin crawling.

We caught up with Kendy to find out more:

The Plus: What inspired the making of ‘Behind’?
Kendy Ty: I wanted to make a genre short film for a long time. I was listening to a song called “Born Again” by Overmars on my way back to Paris from London by night. It gave me the idea to create a small movie with an oppressive atmosphere.

TP: What was the most interesting part of the story-line for you?
KT: This movie has a hidden meaning if you watch it several times in detail. Each detail tells you something more; the date on the VHS recording, the Iran-Iraq war, the entity that comes back every 30 years to ravage the Earth… It follows a narrative logic that should make you understand the end of the movie. I like that you have to watch the movie several times in order to fully understand its meaning.

TP: Are there any good memories from your collaboration with the sound designer?
KT: I met the sound designer, Adrien Drich Sahuc 2 years ago. I made a short film called Smoke and I used his amazing synth wave soundtrack called “Chase”. For this short film, his brother Benjamin joined us, and together they have another band called Grand Soleil. The fun story is that Adrien told me: “Ha, there’s a file in the project called Toilet Ventilation Grid.” He used the sound from his toilet ventilation to make the big noise of the vortex clouds in the movie.

TP: Can you explain your reasons for using archive footage from the Iran-Iraq war related to the woman’s story?
KT: In the story I had to talk about a great war during the 80s. The hypnotised girl is too young to have seen it on the news. It perfectly introduces the first twist of the film.

TP: Which aspects of ‘Behind’ were particularly great to film?
KT: All of them. But I remember that I had to wait for 2 days in the cold to get the shot of the birds in the sky that you can see at the beginning of the film.

TP: Which horror movies inspire you? And are you fan of Lovecraft?
KT: As spectator, I am a fan of horror movies like the Evil Dead series. But I was more interested in making a movie without any gore shots or blood. I like when it’s all about suggestion because imagination is a more effective weapon. I am a real fan of Lovecraft’s universe and books. I also played a lot the Call of Chtulhu role playing games when I was younger.

TP: What else are you working on this year?
KT: I don’t plan anything in advance but I think I will make more personal projects like Behind, I will work as usual on music videos and commercials for my production agencies. But maybe this year will be the opportunity to make a feature film as well because I’ve been contacted by Nostromo Pictures. So wait and see!