Writer/Director Ava Bounds
Stars: Anja Cilia, Anastasiya Ador, Sydney Miede, Georgia Baines
Genre films have always proven to be effective in conveying important themes and messages. From the use of body horror to tackle infertility (Ali Guest’s Pearl) and environmental threats (Guy Trevellyan’s Plastic Surgery), to Gab Staniszewska’s entertaining, award-winning short Choose Your Weapon – a film that uses martial arts and shoot-’em-up action to empower women dealing with postpartum anxiety and other forms of fear – genre cinema uniquely reframes complex personal struggles.
Facing Demons
Writer and director Ava Bounds skilfully builds on this tradition by blending dark comedy, horror, and slapstick with a left-field approach to create a surreal, heightened world. This haunting setting acts as a stage to explore teen body image and the battle against the overwhelming need to be perfect. The message is delivered through the film’s heroine, Rachel (Anja Cilia), a shy teen who shows up to a crowded public pool in a red swimsuit, instantly feeling exposed. When she dives in, the pool drains to reveal three demonic girls in identical bikinis clawing up from the deep: one is zit-covered, one wildly hairy, and one unapologetically rotund. The biggest shock? All of them are her.
A Haunting, Action-Packed Horror Comedy
In partnership with cinematographer Ben Saffer, Ava sets the scene in a dank, dimly lit, empty pool, crafting the ideal stage for an ultimate showdown. The witch-like demons’ entrance sets a deceptively quiet tone—one the film not only maintains, but mischievously subverts. The haunting atmosphere creates an uncomfortably eerie feel for the audience, cleverly playing with expectations.
When the chaos of Rachel’s battles is finally unleashed, the real fun begins. Echoing Gab Staniszewska’s Choose Your Weapon, Ava arms Rachel against her demons with a weird, imaginative arsenal—ranging from cotton buds the size of Gladiator pugil sticks to machine guns loaded with multivitamins. Rachel fires these rapidly at an Irish-dancing “Zitz” (a wonderfully comic turn from Anastasiya Ador).
Exploring the Absurdities of the Industry
If this mix of action, body horror, Mortal Kombat-style martial arts, and slapstick comedy seems absurd, that is entirely the point. While the film is thoroughly entertaining, it never loses sight of its core message: confronting the struggles endured by teenage girls and the absurd pressures inflicted on them by the beauty industry.
One major standout feature is the complete absence of spoken dialogue. With no script to rely on, the narrative weight rests entirely on the cast’s physical performances and facial expressions. Anja Cilia and her co-stars rise brilliantly to the challenge. Cilia captures Rachel’s initial vulnerability and internal struggles with quiet nuance before leaning into the heavy stunt work and exaggerated movements required for the action set pieces.
Under Ava’s sharp direction, Cilia’s performance compellingly guides the audience. One can’t help but be drawn into Rachel’s transformative journey from a shy, self-conscious teen to a triumphant heroine actively reclaiming control over her own self-image. Meanwhile, Cilia’s co-stars bring a zany energy to their roles as Rachel’s demonic witch manifestations, clearly relishing the over-the-top slapstick choreography.
An Entertaining Coven
Ultimately, The Witches of Pool Bottom proves that seven minutes is more than enough time to deliver a knockout punch. By transforming deep-seated anxieties into a hyper-kinetic, darkly hilarious genre clash, Ava Bounds has crafted a short film that feels both wildly inventive and deeply relatable. It is an empowering, cathartic piece of cinema that encourages audiences to embrace the messy, gross realities of growing up rather than conforming to impossible standards. With this surreal blend of comedy, horror, and social commentary, Ava firmly establishes herself as a distinct, exciting talent to watch in contemporary British filmmaking.
The Witches of Pool Bottom will screen at the Oscar Qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival at 10pm Tuesday 18th August, and later this year at the BIFA and BAFTA qualifying Bolton film festival later this year.