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Karen Gillan Writes, Directs, & Stars in New Horror Short, Conventional

By Barry Rice

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Former Doctor Who star Karen Gillan has stepped behind the camera for a new short horror film that skews the life of fame-hungry celebrities and the struggles of working the convention circuit. Gillan stars in Conventional and also wrote and directed the film as part of the Fun Size Horror collective. The film debuts onscreen on October 23rd as part of the Fun Size Horror: Volume Two event in Hollywood, but fortunately for us, it premiered on YouTube earlier this week.

This is actual Gillan’s second short film; Coward, starring iZombie‘s Rose McIver, won Best Independent Short at the Independent Film-makers Showcase at the Beverly Hills Film Festival 2015 and has been playing at other festivals around the globe.

Gillan is no stranger to horror either, having played a lead role in the (surprisingly watchable) 2013 film, Oculus. She’s kept busy since leaving Doctor Who in 2012 with roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and NTSF:SD:SUV::, as well as her short-lived ABC sitcom, Selfie. In December, Gillan will appear in The Big Short alongside Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carrell, and she’s currently filming The Circle with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson.

Related: Doctor Who Debate: Team Rose vs. Team Amy

Here’s the official description for Conventional:

"[A] tale of a leading lady’s fall from stardom. The film stars Gillan as Rachel Milligan, Lara Sebastian as her newest rival, along with bevy of Stu Macs played by Matty Cardarople, James Ransone, Michael May and many more."

I won’t keep you waiting any longer — here now is Conventional, in its full glory:

Not bad, right? It’s a nice showcase for Gillan’s acting, if nothing else (and that’s despite working through those awful fake lips). How long will it be now before we see a full-length film from Karen Gillan? Between this and Coward, she’s starting to make a name for herself, but her acting career seems to be picking up steam, too, with more and more high profile roles coming her way.

Maybe Gillan will turn out to be a triple-threat? At any rate, it’s great to see the former Amy Pond onscreen in whatever comes her way.

What did you think about Conventional? Would you be open to a full-length feature written and directed by Karen Gillan? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Next: Preview/Synopsis: 'The Girl Who Died'

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