There’s a new short film out there changing the game! Writer and director Aaron Sanders opens up on how Garage mixes horror with real-life issues.

Credit: Aaron Sanders, Dissection Media & We the People

It’s rare when a short film comes around that captivates viewers from beginning to end, but every now and then, a hidden gem makes its appearance and instantly becomes a must-watch. 

Garage is that hidden gem that’s getting a lot of attention from critics. It’s a horror short that follows a man haunted by PTSD flashbacks, who returns to the garage where a horrible event took place in his life years ago. 

Benny Adams spoke with the writer and director of the film – Aaron Sanders, who touched on the important message behind Garage, and his plans to make it into a feature-length film. 

One reason that makes this short stand out from the rest is that not only does it encompass the horror genre, but viewers get a raw look at what happens to someone who is dealing with PTSD. Sanders – a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who was diagnosed with the disorder, says this is something he wanted to highlight from the start. 

“I wanted to try and dramatize the experience of someone with PTSD because it’s so disorienting and confusing when symptoms begin, and I was having trouble getting other people who don’t have the disorder to understand what it was like. People can read about PTSD symptoms, but when you feel it in a way a movie can make you feel something, I think it’s an effective way to create more awareness of the challenges living with trauma and PTSD.”

Joshua is the main character in the film, and from the start, viewers can see that he’s going through a lot, but he doesn’t quite know how to get the help he needs to deal with his PTSD. Aaron says this is far too common when it comes to people with trauma. 

“I want to focus on getting people the right kind of help. I feel many times the emphasis has been on asking for help, but in my experience, people are asking for help, but they’re just not able to get it because it’s not acceptable for the people who are in the midst of trauma.”

There were many places of inspiration that Aaron pulled from, but when it comes to other horror films that inspired him, he couldn’t help but name off the classics. 

“I’m a huge fan of horror. Ari Aster’s film Hereditary is a good example that takes on trauma itself; other broader inspirations came from George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.”

As for what Aaron has up his sleeves for the future, he says he’s not going anywhere anytime soon and to expect to see a feature-length film of Garage.

“The feature film is in development, it’s written, and we are starting to build a team. We also want to do these screenings and talk-backs, and we’ve done a few of them now with people in the trauma community where we watch the movie, and we have a panel that talks about it.”