The opening shot of this teaser made me gag a little, and that's why I'm sharing it with you all. With a name like Sweaty Larry and an opening shot featuring a different sort of primordial goo, I was really hoping my best guess was wrong. But, alas. Context clues, kids.
This opening gag factor, coupled with the information that Sweaty Larry filmmaker Vanessa Wright had a giant prop toilet built in her basement for a specific scene, left it there, and is now possibly offering tours upon request, was just too intriguing not to tell you about. See below for the toilet in question.
Filmed in a single day at Vanessa’s Peachtree City, Georgia home, some ingenuity was involved to create the cringe Sweaty Larry toilet reveal. The life-size 4 feet by 5 feet toilet prop was built by hand and currently resides in Wright’s basement (tours/selfies are available upon request). A first for this award-winning production designer, Jason Thompson fashioned Sweaty Larry’s toilet out of a block of foam. Thompson hand-carved and decorated it to photo match the real on-set Glacier Bay toilet. Glacier Bay is a brand owned exclusively by Home Depot.
Described as a “teen horror comedy short,” Sweaty Larry makes its world premiere at the 27th Annual Dances With Film Festival on Saturday, June 29, 11:45 p.m. PT at Hollywood’s famed TCL Chinese Theatre as part of the “Midnight Shorts 2” block. Written and directed by Vanessa Ionta Wright of Renegade Film Productions (Stephen King authorized short Rainy Season) and executive produced by Chameleon Multimedia owner Ryan Burton, the six-minute film follows three young girls — played by newcomers Sienna Burton and Camryn Bentley, along with Quinn Reames — attempting to summon an obscure urban legend that may or may not have originated in ancient Arabia. Tickets can be purchased here.
“Sweaty Larry” dramatically opens with a group of kids meddling with a Ouija board in a darkened, candlelit room. While Hannah (Haley Leary) tries to enjoy some quiet “study time” with her girlfriend Sky (Melissa Kunnap), her younger sister Amy (Sienna Burton) and friends Violet (Camryn Bentley) and Darla (Quinn Reames) wrap up watching the horror film and huddle together to try a different supernatural game. As Amy explains, it’s a bit like the conjuring of Bloody Mary — but here you flush the toilet nine times and call for “Sweaty Larry” (Victor Rivera). What could go wrong? And why is Larry so sweaty?
“We hope audiences embrace this introduction of the lesser-known urban legend ‘Sweaty Larry’ at this year’s Dances With Film festival,” said Wright. “Inspired by the slumber parties of my youth and everyone’s favorite Bloody Mary urban legend, we filmed this inclusive, tongue-in-cheek horror short in Atlanta, Hollywood of the South, with some amazing local talent, both in front of and behind the camera. It was my sincere pleasure to direct Sienna Burton and Camryn Bentley in their acting debut alongside the talented Quinn Reames, Haley Leary and Victor Rivera, who bravely brought our ever-perspiring legend to life.”
Check out the gag-inducing teaser trailer that got us here.
Atlanta-based filmmaker Vanessa Ionta Wright has written, directed and produced several short films, including the fully authorized Stephen King short “Rainy Season” (Dir.) and “SpookT” (Prod.). Her work has been featured in a number of competitions, including the inaugural American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest (judged by Francis Ford Coppola), ScreenCraft, Diverse Voices, Hollyshorts and Toronto Vanguard.
In addition, Vanessa is the founder of Atlanta’s indie Renegade Film Festival, which is currently accepting submissions for the fest’s sixth event, set for Feb. 21-22, 2025. She got her start as a production assistant on music videos in Los Angeles, and eventually moved to Georgia to work for a commercial production company as an assistant production office coordinator. Vanessa graduated from Ohio University with a degree in video production and film.
Hey, Vanessa, the FANGORIA overlords are based in Atlanta, so we'll be sending our bosses to visit your giant toilet. Beyond the Dances With Films fest (tickets can be purchased here), Sweaty Larry is currently under consideration to screen in several additional film festivals in 2024. It will be part of Atlanta’s indie Renegade Film Festival in February 2025.
