This Halloween 'horror film' is a PSA about social mobility

Ahead of Halloween, a trailer and posters for a new horror movie set in a corporate firm are appearing in the U.K. Watch a little closer and you'll find it's actually a PSA about the real "horrors" of class mobility. The short film, "Stay Down," was devised by nonprofit the Social Mobility Foundation and agency Creature London to highlight the gaping inequalities that still exist in British society and, in this particular case, the corproate workplace. Directed by Thomas James and produced by OB Management, it's set in a typical corporate office. It features a working-class hero, played by Michael Socha ("This is England") trying to work his way up the corporate ladder but being held down by discrimination from his elitist boss (Jonathan Hyde) amid competition from a creepy rival who's been to all the right schools. The 60 second trailer, set to a haunting cover of Radiohead’s "No Surprises" performed by up and coming Scottish-Chinese singer songwriter Seil Lien, follows familiar horror movie tropes but eventually cuts to reveal the campaign’s messaging: "Some Horrors aren’t fiction. Classism is still holding people down." It will air in cinemas across the U.K. supported by billboards and in print ads in this Halloween weekend's "Guardian" newspaper. The full film, which will be around 15 minutes long, will launch at an event next week and will be available to stream via by the Roundhouse, British Film Institute and the Social Mobility Foundation's "Department for Opportunities" website. “Classism survives when it’s allowed to hide in the shadows," said John Osborne, creative director at Creature London, in a statement. "We knew we had to continue our unexpected category approach to cut through and shine attention on the issue. To get people talking, of course, but ultimately to apply pressure on those in power holding others down simply because of their background.”

This Halloween 'horror film' is a PSA about social mobility

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