A SHORT SOUTHERN GOTHIC HORROR
STATUS : Currently in festival submission
FESTIVAL CUT RUNTIME : 22 minutes
DIRECTORIAL CUT RUNTIME : 36 minutes
WRITTEN BY : Charlie Carson Monroe
STARRING : Raven Angeline Whisnant, Christopher Malcolm, Joyce Woods
SYNOPSIS : Beneath the thin veneer of their marriage lies a rotting core of regret, frustration, and contempt. Tad and Penelope have fallen on hard times. When Tad’s mother unexpectedly dies and Tad comes into possession of his stately family home, he believes it will be the key to solving everything. But what awaits them in that house is not salvation. What awaits them is the final push that will finally send them toppling over that razor-thin edge into the unknown. An infestation of monstrous bed bugs eat through the home and Penelope’s psyche. She becomes increasingly desperate for any escape from the countless new bites, the constant feeling of something crawling across her skin, the punishing summer heat, her husband. It’s time for Penelope to purge herself.
About the writer
Charlie Monroe (they/she) is a writer, actor, podcaster, and improviser who has worked a variety of odd jobs across the Southeast. Professional appearances include the series finale of CBS’s MacGyver (2021), as well as stage performances in the 2018 Atlanta Fringe Festival. As an improviser, she has performed several improv comedy shows with Amanda Roundtree and Friends. In 2021, Charlie moved back to her hometown of Chapel Hill to work with her father and longtime friends and collaborators Peter Zale and Raven Whisnant to launch New 32. Alongside her childhood friend Ari Noble, Charlie is currently running a podcast called Yes, Androgyny—which uses improv comedy as a way to talk about the experience of coming out as transgender. Charlie is currently studying literature and creative writing in college. Their ultimate goal is to combine their passion for academic analysis and media criticism with their love of performance to create online projects (both creative and commentative) that feed their obsession with storytelling.
The directorial duo
Charlie and Raven have been collaborating on plays, films, scripts, and all manor of art projects since they were little kids at summer camp: who pinky-promised to grow up and make movies together. Combining Charlie’s incredible talent for creating emotionally engaging storytelling (both on the page and in the performances), and Raven’s abilities to translate narrative vision into captivating visuals, Biters is their greatest collaboration yet.
