Building a social horror nightmare around the pressures of ‘meeting the friends’, director Emma Westenberg exorcises the ghosts of boyfriends past as a new relationship goes public in comedy short Fresh Blood.

Starring Clara McGregor, Kate Hollowell and George Basil alongside a cast of actors and other filmmakers, Fresh Blood follows Anna’s first encounter with her boyfriend Nico’s friendship group, while their icy reception turns his housewarming party cold. As a shadow falls over the gathering, mysterious events connected to the house and the spiritual leanings of its former owner leave it unclear whether supernatural forces are at play, or if the true horror lies within the group itself.

Inspired by their time living in a beautiful – yet seemingly haunted – Aztec-inspired adobe in Los Angeles, Westenberg, writer Elle Mahan, and producer Juan Espinoza sought comedy in the dark presence felt in their home. Shooting in the house at night, as they prepared to move the next day, the film commemorates the strange happenings that marked their time there, and the collective experience of bad energies and worse relationships.