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

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