The birth of a mall goth
A very silly short comedy about: the autistic need to make sense of the world around you, goths, and sisterhood.
Writer/Director: Samantha Locock
Producer: Poppi Knight
Executive Producers: Victoria Emslie and Brigit Willment
May - Emily Carey (Geek Girl, House of the Dragon)
Gemma - Lola Blue (Children’s and Family Emmy Nominee for A Kind of Spark)
Synopsis: May’s sister Gemma has become a goth overnight, causing autistic teen May to explore the fantastical reasons for the sudden change, while also going on a journey of self-discovery.
In festival run.
World Premiere/Nominee: Best Narrative Short - Newport Beach Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection - As Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection - Oska Bright Film Festival, 2026
Official Selection - TBA, 2026
Street Goths: Frankie Harrold, Henry Hakanson, Rachel Kiki
First Assistant Director: Jemima Stephenson
Casting: LANE Casting UK
Casting Directors: Priyanka Patel + Hannah Ashby Ward
Director of Photography: Toby Martin
1st AC: Jonny Iseli
2nd AC: Danni Baxter
Steadicam Operator: Devan Clarke-Sheward
Gaffer: Will Pope
Spark: Ross Murrell
Production Designer: Omar Kent
Art Dept Assistant: Joshua Liles
Graphic Designer: Louise Morris
Costume Designer: Marouane Joubba
Principal Standby: Javiera Imbert
Moth Wings: Oksana Osadchuk, Crystal Wings ua
Hair and Makeup Designer: Lily Simmonds
Sound Designer: Calum Sample
Sound Mixer: Ryan Beauchamp
Composer: Leah Tatjana
Third Assistant Director: Cecily Thomas
Production Manager: Alfie Turner
Production Runner: Tom Davidson
Editor: Samantha Locock
VFX: Ewan McIntosh
Colourist: Maruf Khan
Colour Producer: Dan Hills
Colour House: Fawn
Unit Stills: Robbie Gray
Camera: The Unit Bag
Lighting: SHL
Location: Les Elston
Catering: The Gleaners Cafe
Insurance: Performance
Mei Films in association with Primetime
DIRECTOR'S VISION
DIRECTOR'S VISION
The idea for this film came from visiting a shopping centre where I saw some goths, and it transported me back to being a kid in the early 00s in a similar setting, when I remembered seeing a group of people who looked exactly the same. This got me thinking: how do people get into this subculture and trend? This type of goth: mall goth, always tend to be around the same age (13-17) and dress the same today as they did back then. I wanted to have fun with this exploration and make it silly but still conceivable. Then I got diagnosed with Autism and I realised that I’ve always had this need to ask questions to make sense of things rather than taking things at face value - so in a way I was writing about the autistic experience subconciously.
My own goth phase only lasted about 2 weeks and was greatly inspired by St Trinians, but I’ve always loved the strong look and feeling of individuality they have. I wanted to explore this different way of a teenager finding themselves and show a strong sisterly relationship with punchy saturated colours inspired by early 00s films. The humour and outlandishness is inspired by BIG BOYS and WE ARE LADY PARTS. By adding in a late 2010s tv trope of voiceover/presenting to camera - inspired by a mix of FLEABAG and LADHOOD I wanted to give May a cheekiness inspired by teenage me.