The Taint

The Taint

story, screenplay, co-director, producer, executive producer

When Jill is tricked into starring in a horror film, she is forced to confront the source of her trauma: the man who tormented her. But how can she trust him after what he did?

Chris’ second short film project, The Taint is an ambitious and provocative psychological drama that keeps you guessing even after the final frame. Collaborating with filmmaker and longtime friend Tessa Muskett, this is a quintessential Australian story, playing on the filmic tradition of the deranged bushman a la Wolf Creek.

The film resonates beyond the scope of the protagonist’s journey, exploring ideas around the legacy of trauma and how this still plays out, both personally and socially, today. But the new weapons of war are mass (social) media and reality TV so the film puts the industry itself under the microscope to analyse the impact of how we tell stories.

Chris had the idea for the film back in 2015 (after having a dream where he was being chased by John Jarratt!). After approaching Tessa with an initial draft, they developed the screenplay together before shooting in April 2017. Tessa submitted the finished film as part of her UTS Masters and it was later selected as part of the Female Eye Film Festival (Toronto 2o18), Illawarra Film Festival (2019) and Melbourne Women in Film Festival (2020).