LOGLINE

An underclass man with a ruinous past pursues a ghost inside a council flat in a desperate bid for redemption.

THE STORY

Our film is set in a world where gifted individuals can see ghosts in their day to day lives, and we follow our protagonist Riley, a young ex-convict who also has that ability. He busies his day time by doing meandering community service in an impoverished area in London, to give back to the community. But continuously unaccepted by society, he is motivated to gain redemption by other means.   

During the course of the film, Riley enters what seems to be his own neglected flat, where it appears he is haunted by a ghost. But in a twist on the horror genre, it’s actually the other way round: we find out that Riley has broken into this flat every night in order to chase this ghost, one that he calls “Adam”, to gain redemption for a past crime. The crime? Killing Adam many years ago in a mugging attempt that went wrong. 

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT 

A social drama with a dark fantastical twist, Scelus is set in a world that incorporates the element of certain “gifted” people being able to see ghosts in their day to day lives. But what if the living used this ability to haunt the dead? 

Imagine a haunting-in-reverse, in a shocking twist on the genre. 

I wanted to create a story where a remorseful killer is thrown into this kind of world where they have the opportunity to confront their victim and seek forgiveness. This is despite the fact that our victim, the ghost, is haunted by his killer’s presence. It would be a unique perspective that hasn’t been offered before in film. 

Scelus aims to be an unconventional emotional story about regret and redemption. This is the path I want to go down coming off my last successfully crowdfunded, BAFTA qualifying short London’s Forgotten, which dealt with knife crime in a similarly fantastical way. As a proof of concept short film, my goal is to develop Scelus into a feature film that expands the world and our central protagonist further. 

But of course, we need your help to get us to the finish line! We’ve come far, winning a SHORT FILM FUND from the Unrestricted View Film Festival as well as gaining support from post houses such as The Farm. But we need £5,000 to close the gap and actually make this film a reality.   

Scroll down to find out more about our project and support us!   

- Liam Pinheiro-Rogers

CREW

CAST

MOODBOARD

WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING

We plan to use your kind donations to complete the remaining costs of the budget. With post production all in kind, as well as having partial funding support, we are getting closer to closing the gap!   

We need the remaining funds for:     

• Cast & Crew     
• Location     
• SFX & Prosthetics     
• Equipment Hire (Lighting & Camera)   

Reaching our goal of £5,000 will not only ensure that our story is as visually compelling as possible, but will also ensure a safe, happy and fair working environment for everyone involved! 

MUSIC SNIPPET

CONCEPT ART

WHY NOW

With recent current affairs circling around ex-convicts being released from prison, and cuts to rehabilitation programmes, it made sense to tell a story related to those issues. Coupled with the popularity of the horror genre (the genre in 2025 grossed over 1 billion, helped by films such as Sinners), but also a sense that we all want something new, Scelus is a project that is both current and resonating. 

OUR INSPIRATION 

Projects such as Adolescence and His House provided resonating social commentary, either with a drama or horror outlook, a combination we are using for Scelus to hook those who love chilling ghost stories as well as gritty social dramas. 

REWARDS FOR CONTRIBUTION

Below is a list of our perks! Depending on how much you contribute, you can grab some really cool rewards:

• Special Shout Out on social media!
• Special Artwork for you to own!
• Limited Edition Scelus T-Shirt for you to own!
• Extremely Rare Scelus Prop Teeth for you to own!
• Scelus Poster for you to own!
• Exclusive Private Cast & Crew Screening Invite and an Associate Producer credit! 
• Bundle - A Scelus T-Shirt, Poster & Private Premiere Screening!
• Complete package of all of the above, as well as Executive Producer credit! 

Look to your right if you're on desktop or scroll down if you're on mobile to see some great deals!

PRODUCTION TIMELINE

Pre-Production: January to April 2026

Production: April 2026

Post-Production: April to July 2026

Distribution & Festivals: August 2026 and Onwards 

OVERALL

Scelus aims to dispel normative tropes in film, with focus on a socially conscious narrative and a unique “haunting-in-reverse” story.  We are on a clear trajectory toward highlighting important stories that matter. The concept of Scelus is bold and unprecedented -- one that feels urgent and necessary to tell now.

Please spread the word! £5,000 is achievable but it only happens with community effort. Please help us by sharing this crowdfunder across all of your socials, in the friends and family Instas, Facebooks and WhatsApps, and even out there in the real world!

Thank you!