Interview by Paul Salfen
The air crackled with anticipation at Fantastic Fest 2025, where Brooke H. Cellars unveiled her audacious feature debut, The Cramps: A Period Piece. In an exclusive interview with AMFM Magazine’s Paul Salfen, Cellars peeled back the layers of her wild, genre-bending horror-comedy, revealing a deeply personal story wrapped in the vibrant, irreverent aesthetics of John Waters, the macabre flair of Mario Bava, and the dreamlike choreography of Federico Fellini.
Cellars, a multifaceted filmmaker from Lafayette, Louisiana, sat down with Salfen to discuss the film, which had its world premiere at the Austin-based festival. “I can’t believe we’re in Fantastic Fest,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement. “It’s a crazy, crazy creature feature, inspired by my real-life horror story of having endometriosis.” For Cellars, the film is more than a cinematic spectacle—it’s a bold reclamation of a narrative too often shrouded in shame.
The Cramps: A Period Piece follows Agnes Applewhite (Lauren Kitchen), a young woman breaking free from her repressive, traditional family to work as a shampoo girl at a lively beauty salon. As Agnes embarks on her journey of self-discovery, she’s plagued by debilitating menstrual cramps that spiral into a nightmarish blur of reality and horror. The film, produced by Cellars alongside Madeleine Yawn, Wicken Taylor, Michelle Malentina, Levi Porter, and Vincent Stalba, is a kaleidoscopic blend of comedy and fantastical horror, starring a dynamic ensemble including Kitchen, Brooklyn Woods, Harlie Madison, Martini Bear, Taylor, and Malentina.
For Cellars, the film is a visceral translation of her own experience with endometriosis, a condition that went undiagnosed from her teenage years until her mid-30s. “It felt like a creature eating me from the inside and taking over my life,” she told Salfen. Growing up in a religious family where discussions about menstruation were taboo, Cellars carried a heavy burden of shame. “My mother and sister—I couldn’t talk about it with them at all,” she shared. “I suffered in silence.” That silence fueled her resolve to create a film that confronts the stigma head-on, transforming personal pain into a universal story of empowerment.
The filmmaking process was, by Cellars’ account, “a blast.” As a director who thrives on being involved in every aspect—from writing to editing—she assembled a team that matched her vibrant, rule-breaking energy. “You choose the people that have the right vibe and understand what crazy crap we’re doing,” she said with a laugh. The result is a film that’s as much a love letter to horror as it is a celebration of creative freedom, with a visual style that pays homage to the bold colors and intentional design of classic genre films.
Cellars’ adoration for horror runs deep, sparked in childhood by the colorful, boundary-pushing films of the past. “I love old movies—the costumes, the production design, the choreography,” she explained, citing John Waters’ fearless irreverence and Fellini’s dreamlike storytelling as key inspirations. “Waters says whatever the hell he wants, and there are no rules. I don’t like rules.” This defiance of convention is evident in The Cramps, which refuses to shy away from the raw realities of menstruation—a topic Cellars believes should be normalized, not stigmatized. “It’s something women are born with,” she said. “Why is this such a shameful subject? People live in pain because they’re ashamed to say anything.”
For aspiring filmmakers, Cellars’ advice is simple and direct: just do it. “There are zero excuses,” she told Salfen. “It’s 2025—you have a phone, you have a camera. If you want to make a movie, you’re just going to have to do it.” Her own journey to filmmaking was far from linear. Raised in an environment where art wasn’t nurtured, Cellars didn’t make her first student film until she was 37. Now 44, she’s unapologetically forging her path, driven by a lifelong passion for horror that sustained her through years of struggle. “Horror movies were my comfort,” she said, recalling her childhood spent devouring VHS tapes from the video store.
As The Cramps electrified audiences at Fantastic Fest, Cellars was already looking ahead, teasing her next project: a film tentatively titled Blood, Guts, and the Sluts, steeped in an ambiguous 1980s aesthetic. “It’s going to be really fun,” she promised, her eyes lighting up at the thought of diving back into the vibrant, rebellious world she’s carved out for herself.
For Cellars, The Cramps is more than a film—it’s a rallying cry for those who’ve suffered in silence, a middle finger to shame, and a testament to the power of telling your story, no matter the odds. “Talk about it,” she urged women dealing with endometriosis. “If you’re in that much pain, that’s not normal. Say something, do something.” As the credits rolled at Fantastic Fest, it was clear that Cellars had done just that, delivering a film that’s as unforgettable as it is unapologetic.
