top of page

THE OBLITERATION OF THE CHICKENS

Teaser, Reviews & Screenings

 

“Oh man, where to begin but with an exuberant, overjoyed, “What the actual fuck?”

 

This short reminded me of two of my favorite things in the world, a YouTube video called “Werner Herzog Reads Curious George” and Adult Swim’s delirious “The Shivering Truth.” Both use absurdist imagery, contagiously joyful nihilism, and art-house-inspired winks and nods to mock and celebrate all the weirdness and despair of modern life. “The Obliteration of the Chickens,” while not as wide-ranging and ambitious as “The Shivering Truth,” is a truly mad, singularly weird romp, one that would definitely cut through all the fat of a short film block, freshening things up with its unchained insanity. Once again, the short is helped by Lee’s writing, which is a pitch-perfect imitation of Herzog’s beautifully pretentious, pretentiously beautiful narrative style.” — Pennie Sublime, CineDump​

“This time, Izzy Lee wants you to share a sardonic belly laugh while the world burns into a cinder… She cleverly recognizes and skewers the formalism and academic distance that can turn concerned outrage into a schitck. What is amazing is that Izzy Lee elicits belly laughs while still making tremendously dark observations about the pointlessness of existence and the insignificance of suffering. The Obliteration of the Chickens is not only a new tonal direction, but it may also be the birth of a new sub-genre. Absurdist Existential Horror? Cosmic Farce?" — Scott Bradley, Hellbent for Horror

 

“Some things are so off-the-wall bonkers it takes a while to process exactly what it is you’ve just seen, let alone actually put your reaction to it into coherent words.” — Andrew Marshall, Starburst Magazine

“I have to admit that this is one of the most unique and interesting stories from Izzy Lee thus far. I just love the style and dream-like sequence. It reminds me of something you would see, like a warning, right before the apocalypse.

 

“THE OBLITERATION OF THE CHICKENS, a funny and creepy way of looking at the fact that the universe doesn’t give a damn if anyone lives or dies.” — Matt Wedge, Daily Grindhouse

 

“Obliteration is a riot. Your heart will race as fast as your mind while trying to figure out where you stand on Herzog. No worries if you’re laughing at or alongside him; he likely doesn’t care.” — Bill Arceneaux, Big Easy Magazine

“I have to admit that this is one of the most unique and interesting stories from Izzy Lee thus far. I just love the style and dream-like sequence. It reminds me of something you would see, like a warning, right before the apocalypse.

 

You get a sense of nihilism and existential dread lurking with every minute of the three-minute runtime. This isn’t surprising, though. If you know Izzy Lee, you know her opinion on the current state of the world and she’s not impressed and she’s definitely not afraid to let you know that.”

  — Tori Danielle,  Pop Horror

THE OBLITERATION OF THE CHICKENS

 SCREENINGS

AWARDS

Nominated: Best Renegade Short Film, Women in Horror Film Festival 2020

Nominated: Best Editing, Women in Horror Film Festival 2020

WON: Best Editing, Shawna Shea Memorial Film Festival 2019

The Obliteration of the Chickens 4x6 pos

Synopsis: The universe does not care. The abyss is stupid. Narrated by author Bracken MacLeod, this Herzog-inspired fever dream uses 100% stock footage to reflect on the banality of existence.

 

Credits:

Written, directed & produced by Izzy Lee

Narration by Bracken MacLeod / Edited by Michael J. Epstein

 

Footage & sound provided by: Archive.org; Pond 5; StoryBlocks; AudioBlocks.

World Premiere

Boston Underground Film Festival

Cambridge, MA

March 24, 2019

Plays with Assassinaut

Little Terrors

Toronto, Canada

March 26, 2019

Chattanooga Film Festival

Chattanooga, TN

April 12, 2019

Plays in the WTF Block

Weird Local Film Festival

Somerville, MA

May 30, 2019

Overlook Film Festival

New Orleans, LA

May 31 & June 2, 2019

Plays in Shorts Block 2

Snake Alley Festival of Film

Burlington, IA

June 20, 2019

Plays in the WTF Block

Popcorn Frights Film Festival

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

August 11, 2019

Plays with The Unthinkable

Women Texas Film Festival

Dallas, TX

August 17, 2019

Plays in the comedy shorts block

North Bend Film Festival

North Bend, WA

August 18, 2019

Plays in the Something Strange shorts block

NecronomiCon

Providence, RI

August 24, 2019

FrightFest

London, UK

August 25, 2019

HP Lovecraft Film Festival

Portland, OR

October 4 & 6, 2019

Shawna Shea Film Festival

Southbridge, MA

October 4, 2019

Horrible Imaginings Campfire Tales

Santa Ana, CA

October 18, 2019

Idaho Horror Film Festival

Boise, ID

October 18, 2019 (WTF block)

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival

Brooklyn, NY

October 20, 2019 (Head Trip block)

Morbido

Mexico City, Mexico

November 3, 2019 (Abnormal Vibrations block)

Anomaly Film Festival

Rochester, NY

November 8, 2019 (Plays with In Fabric)

Film Maudit 2.0

Santa Monica, CA

November 14, 2019 (Surreal Reality block)

Other Worlds

Austin, TX

December, 6 2019 

Plays with Lake Michigan Monster

Women in Horror Film Festival

Marietta, GA

February 28, 2020 

Renegade Block

LockDownCon

virtual

June 26, 2020

Outer Dark Symposium

virtual

August 15, 2020

Hallucinations Collectives

Lyon, France

September 4, 2020

French Premiere

DC Shorts International Film Festival

Washington, DC

September 10-23 2020 TBA

Charlotte Film Festival

Charlotte, NC/virtual

September 23-27 2020 

FilmQuest

Provo, UT/virtual

2021 TBA

Fantastic Shorts

StokerCon Final Fram Competition Festival

Scarborough, U.K.

2020 TBA

 

NIHIL NOCTEM

scary little films
FILMS
bottom of page