Last Updated on August 26, 2025 by FANGORIA Staff
Chicago-based Black independent film company Swym Good Films’ latest production, the horror short The Girl in the Street has officially embarked on a festival run, and we're excited to bring you an exclusive trailer and poster.
Directed by filmmaking duo Chris & Miles (Chris Paicely and Miles August, award-winning sci-fi short ALUS), and written by Paicely, the SAG-AFTRA production stars Shawn Roundtree Jr. (Emperor of Ocean Park), Whitney Blair Masters, D'Andra Laneé, and Chris Anthony, and features a vocal cameo by horror legend Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), which Paicely calls “a dream come true” for the lifelong horror fans.
In The Girl in the Street, after receiving a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity, Malachi (Roundtree Jr.) leaves his dying younger sister (Laneé) behind to move to a remote small town:
Upon arrival, he has a strange encounter with the moving truck driver (Anthony) that causes him to question his morality. As Malachi unpacks inside his new house, a bloody and scarred woman in a strange mask appears on the dirt road outside the house, screeching. Malachi faces a moral quandary, whether to help the woman or stay safely inside his home.
Behind the scenes, The Girl in the Street boasts cinematographer Lana Mattice, top-tier teams from Fotokem (Disney, Strange Darling) and Esho Sound (Anora), and scored by Pablo Fuu (When Evil Lurks).
In a directors' statement, Chris & Miles expanded more on the short's themes of “the insidious power of conformity and indoctrination within suburban spaces” :
The Girl in the Street is a story about morality—specifically, the thin and often painful line between being a “good person” and doing what’s simply convenient. At its heart, this film confronts the haunting consequences of selfishness and complicity. It asks: What are we willing to ignore to preserve our own comfort? What happens when we choose ourselves at the expense of others? We were drawn to this story because it taps into something deeply human—the quiet guilt we carry when we turn away from someone in need—and pushes that tension to a horrifying extreme.
Inspired by films like Get Out and The Wicker Man, The Girl in the Street is set in a world that feels familiar on the surface but quickly reveals a twisted, ritualistic undercurrent. Like those films, we wanted to explore how place and community can act as both sanctuary and snare. Through Malachi’s journey—from his urban home to a quiet small town with dark traditions—we challenge the audience to consider how morality can be weaponized, redefined, and enforced under the guise of goodness. This is horror that tests character. This is horror that dares to ask: What does it cost to be a good person?
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster for The Girl in the Street below:
