A Bloody Good Reminder That Creativity Doesn’t Retire
Silver Screamers
MOVIE REVIEW
Silver Screamers
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Genre: Documentary, Horror, Comedy
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 35m
Director(s): Sean Cisterna
Where to Watch: shown at Fantastic Fest 2025
RAVING REVIEW: The documentary that you never knew you needed is here! There’s something inherently joyful about watching people surprise you, and SILVER SCREAMERS is built entirely around that feeling. The film takes what could have been a one-note gimmick—retirees making a horror short—and develops it into a celebration of creativity, resilience, and the unshakable urge to have fun, even when society has quietly suggested that playtime is over.
Director Sean Cisterna stumbled upon a subsidy program for senior activities and turned it into something unexpected: a chance for a retirement community to write, shoot, and star in their own horror film. That short, titled THE RUG (written by horror novelist Edo van Belkom), becomes both the spine of the documentary and the spark that ignites the residents’ passions. What begins as a tentative experiment in creative aging blossoms into a full-blown behind-the-scenes chronicle, complete with squabbles, problem-solving, and gallons of stage blood.
The most refreshing part of the film is how sincerely it treats its subjects. It never leans into condescension or turns its cast into caricatures. These seniors aren’t the butt of the joke; they’re collaborators. Each participant takes on a role in the production, whether it’s building props, operating the camera, handling wardrobe, or figuring out how to splatter blood on a budget convincingly. The film doesn’t hide the learning curves, but it frames them as part of the fun. Watching someone who grew up decades before digital cameras attempt a complex tracking shot is both endearing and exhilarating—not because they’re “old people trying something young,” but because they’re filmmakers finding their way.
At its core, SILVER SCREAMERS is less about horror as a genre and more about horror as a tool. By choosing a scary story, the seniors get to break free from stereotypes about fragility and gentleness. A gory gag, a rubber mask, a scream ripped from someone who otherwise might spend their evenings playing bingo—these become powerful acts of self-reinvention. It’s no accident that the film feels celebratory in tone, weaving humor into its portrait of aging while still honoring the hardships and limitations that come with it.
Cisterna structures the documentary like a hybrid between a traditional making-of featurette and a community theater chronicle. Scenes of brainstorming and rehearsal blend with moments of vulnerability, including health issues, doubts about stamina, and even disagreements over creative choices. There are laughs, yes, but there are also raw acknowledgments of what it means to create art when your body doesn’t always cooperate.
The supporting mentors—cinematographer Juan Montalvo, makeup artist Sara Condemi, assistant director Kristyn Mott, and others—provide a scaffolding of professional guidance. They never overshadow the seniors but instead encourage them, nudging when necessary and stepping back to let discoveries happen. The mentors’ presence also lends legitimacy to the production, making it feel more than just a novelty project. By the time the short film within the film begins to take shape, you believe in these residents as a crew.
The documentary occasionally leans heavily on sentiment, and some sequences feel designed to cue applause rather than develop deeper insight. A sharper focus on individual personalities might have elevated the emotional stakes even further; instead, the film often treats the group as a collective whole. That choice keeps the story moving but can blur distinct voices.
By the end, what clicks most isn’t the quality of the horror short itself (though THE RUG looks like a charmingly bloody piece of amateur horror) but the process of getting there. Watching Diane Ament craft makeup effects or Sonny Lauzon wrestle with camera operation reminds us that art is less about age or training and more about willingness to try. The message lands without ever feeling like a lecture: creativity doesn’t retire.
SILVER SCREAMERS leaves you smiling as much as it leaves you admiring. It’s rare to find a documentary that simultaneously works as a crowd-pleaser, a conversation starter about aging, and a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of DIY horror. Cisterna doesn’t just document a fun project; he reframes how we think about seniors and what they’re capable of. In a culture that often sidelines older people, that’s a vital reminder.
For anyone who loves documentaries that celebrate unlikely artists, or for horror fans curious about how passion translates across generations, this film is worth seeking out. It may not rewrite the rules of documentary filmmaking, but it doesn’t need to. It just has to show us that the thrill of making something new never fades, whether you’re nineteen or ninety.
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