ABOUT BLOODY TIME: THE TAMPON SLASHER – Bloody tampons, found footage and a resentful Killer determined to set the record straight
Updated: Oct 5
28 tampons. 28 days. One killer’s bloody cycle finally told her way.
Welcome to THE TAMPON SLASHER.
One of six projects selected for our inaugural About Bloody Time: Women Are Seen Project Showcase at FrightFest 2026, The Tampon Slasher is a horror thriller about an infamous female serial killer, the student filmmakers determined to uncover her story, and what happens when their true-crime-style documentary takes a very bloody turn.
Yes. You read that right.
This killer targets misogynistic men every 28 days, draining their blood and soaking 28 tampons in it as part of her ritual.
Behind that deliberately outrageous premise is a film exploring gender disparity, toxic masculinity and femininity, our fascination with serial killers, and the very different ways violent men and women are remembered.
THE KILLER LOGLINE 🩸
When a crew of ambitious film students set out to make a documentary about The Tampon Slasher, an uncaught female serial killer from the 80s, things go horribly wrong during their last interview.
SO… WHAT IS THE TAMPON SLASHER? 🩸
Written, directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker Danielle Spontak of Spontak Entertainment, The Tampon Slasher begins as something we all know very well.
A true-crime documentary.
A group of ambitious film students have chosen an infamous uncaught female serial killer as the subject of their final project.
Her case went cold in 1989.
Her crimes were quickly swept under the rug.
And now co-directors Archer and Wilfie want to find out why.
They interview everyone you’d expect.
Detectives.
Forensic pathologists.
Reporters.
Families of victims.
All building towards one final interview.
And that’s where things start to go very, very wrong.
Because The Tampon Slasher doesn’t stay a true-crime-style documentary for long.
The film shifts violently into found-footage horror, turning the filmmakers from observers of the story into part of it.
And suddenly, the woman whose crimes they’ve spent so long dissecting gets the opportunity to take control of the narrative herself.
AND ABOUT THOSE TAMPONS… 🩸
The method is outrageous.
But it isn’t there purely for shock value.
Behind that very bloody premise, Danielle is using the film to ask some much bigger questions.
Why are male and female serial killers remembered differently?
What happens when a woman refuses to fit the archetype of nurturer or carer?
And why are violent women so often erased, minimised or treated as anomalies within the stories we tell about crime?
The film also explores gender disparity, toxic masculinity and toxic femininity, using the conventions of true crime and horror to pull those ideas apart.
And while the Tampon Slasher herself and her crimes are fictional, Danielle says the statistics woven throughout the film are real.
So yes...
there will be blood.
There will definitely be tampons.
But there’s something much more deliberate happening underneath it all.
Danielle describes it as:
“The most educational horror film!”
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE BLOOD 🩸
Behind the film is Danielle Spontak, an award-winning writer, director and producer whose work already spans multiple genres, funding routes and industry recognition.
Her previous films include the Arts Council-funded I Am Philippines, the BIFA-qualifying I See You’re Alone and Lutas Pitch winner Cotton Candy Dreams.
She also won a Sundance short script competition for Sing During the Storm.
Danielle brings funded work, festival recognition and some pretty exciting industry momentum to the project.
And she’s not sticking to one lane either.
Danielle has also given herself a fairly ambitious career challenge:
Make something in every genre before she dies.
So far, she’s doing a pretty good job of making good on it.
The Tampon Slasher also has a deliberately contained production model.
It’s designed as a contained one-location independent feature, with a budget of £350,000 and a concept built around recognisable true-crime and found-footage formats.
And Danielle isn’t building it alone.
The producing team includes Rose McMahon, who has experience across film and television, and Jess Speller, who has worked across more than 30 short films.
Alexandra Skevington is attached as composer, and Danielle hopes to continue bringing more women onto the crew as the project develops.
One location. A defined budget. An established creative team.
And a high-concept hook that’s almost impossible to forget.
The Tampon Slasher might be outrageous, but Danielle and her team have clearly thought about how to actually get it onto a screen.
FILMS ARE BETTER WITH COMPANY 🩸
There’s another important part of Danielle’s filmmaking philosophy too.
At Spontak Entertainment, the aim isn’t simply to make films.
It’s to make films that bring people together.
“We want to disrupt the growing trend of people watching films home alone, invite your friends over, make some popcorn, and sink your teeth into our stories!”
Danielle wants audiences talking afterwards.
Debating.
Reacting.
Arguing about what they just watched.
Because, as she puts it:
“Making movie magic means bringing people together for a shoot, and watching them when they’re finished should be no different!”
And The Tampon Slasher certainly feels like the sort of film you’re going to want somebody sitting next to you for.
ABOUT BLOODY TIME 🩸
For Danielle, being part of About Bloody Time wasn’t simply another chance to pitch the project.
It was also about meeting the other women building genre projects around her.
“It was a fantastic experience being part of the About Bloody Time Project Showcase and meeting fellow women in horror.”
She found it inspiring to hear about the other filmmakers’ projects, their progress and their visions for what might come next.
But the showcase also gave Danielle the opportunity to test something pretty important.
Would The Tampon Slasher actually connect with an audience?
Pretty quickly, she had her answer.
“It was great to see The Tampon Slasher resonate with the audience and receive feedback on the teaser too.”
And the impact didn’t stop once everyone left the room.
Danielle says being able to pitch The Tampon Slasher helped open further conversations afterwards, including one with a financing house that pointed the team towards possible routes for further funding.
And then something even more exciting happened.
7% OF THE BUDGET. 🩸💰
Following the positive response to the project around the showcase, The Tampon Slasher secured their first angel investor.
That means the project now has £25,000 of its £350,000 budget.
Or approximately 7% of the film financed.
Danielle told us:
“Needless to say, my team and I have been over the moon with the progress that the About Bloody Time Project Showcase has pushed for!”
And we’re pretty bloody pleased about it too.
Because showcasing your work can create opportunities to build on.
Conversations. Introductions. Attention. Buzz. Momentum.
And in Danielle’s case, that momentum has already started turning into real progress.
A BLOODY GOOD GIFT 🩸🖤
A huge thank you to Cute And Spook, who helped us celebrate Danielle with a suitably on-brand Horror Queen hoodie.
Honestly, could there have been a better fit?
Even better, Danielle treated us to this selfie wearing it, paired perfectly with a set of bloody tampon earrings.
Iconic AF.
Go show Cute And Spook some love: https://cuteandspook.co.uk/
And thank you again for helping us crown Danielle our very own Horror Queen. 🖤
WHAT DOES GENRE NEED NEXT? 🩸
For Danielle, one of the biggest opportunities is creating more spaces where filmmakers can meet not only audiences... but the people who can actually help move projects through development.
She’d love to see more opportunities for pitching, alongside something closer to a mini-market, where filmmakers can connect with:
Producers.
Sales agents.
Financiers.
Industry decision-makers.
AND THERE’S MORE… 🩸
The first investment isn’t the only thing that has moved forward since the showcase.
Danielle has also made a new contact who is helping get The Tampon Slasher pitch deck in front of an executive connected with Talk to Me (the breakout Australian horror hit distributed by A24), alongside an executive in Scotland with an interest in female-led features.
These are early conversations.
And that’s often how independent films start moving.
One person sees the project.
They tell somebody else.
An introduction happens.
A conversation begins.
And the circle gets a little wider.
Because getting a film made is never one giant leap.
It’s hundreds… sometimes thousands… of small steps.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TAMPON SLASHER? 🩸
Quite simply:
Funding the rest of the film.
The team now has its first £25,000 secured, but there’s still a sizeable chunk of the £350,000 budget left to raise before production can begin.
The foundations are already there.
A defined concept.
A contained one-location production model.
An experienced filmmaking team.
Early finance.
Industry conversations.
And an audience response that has already given us confidence that people want to see more.
Now they need the right people to help take it to the next stage.
But Danielle is also already thinking beyond production.
Because a film called The Tampon Slasher presents some...
fairly unique marketing opportunities.
She’d love to connect with creatives or merchandise makers interested in making the eventual release even more... memorable.
CAN YOU HELP? 👀
Right now, the team is looking for further finance and industry connections to help move The Tampon Slasher into production.
So if you’re a producer, financier, sales professional or industry collaborator interested in distinctive female-led horror...
Danielle would love to hear from you.
If you know somebody who might connect with the project...
make the introduction.
Sometimes one introduction really can change the trajectory of a film.
And if financing £325,000 of a horror feature isn’t quite on your agenda today?
No worries. You can still help.
Follow the project. Subscribe. Share it with somebody who’d love it.
Because growing an audience around an independent film is hugely important too.
Website: https://www.spontakentertainment.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spontakent/
THE LASTING IMPRESSION 🩸
When we asked Danielle what stayed with her from About Bloody Time, one of the key things she mentioned was the atmosphere.
“Right off the bat, I loved the setup and atmosphere- it set the mood immediately for horror in an inviting way.”
She also loved the blood-spurting countdown, the trailers and our About Bloody Time anthem, celebrating the blood, sweat and tears that went into the event (and, let’s be honest, the industry as a whole!).
But one of the more reflective moments stayed with her too.
Hearing co-host Cathy Wippell of Silicon Gothic talk about the statistics around female directors.
“As much as it broke my heart, I really appreciate hearing Cathy’s statistics on female directors and how sorely the numbers need to change!”
Danielle also came away inspired by Cathy’s own work.
Hearing about the success of Silicon Gothic’s Snapshot, and the creativity behind the film, made enough of an impression that she went and bought a ticket for its next screening.
And maybe that’s one of our favourite things to come out of the showcase.
The projects weren’t competing against one another.
The filmmakers were discovering, supporting and championing each other’s work.
Because underneath all the bloody fun and slightly chaotic antics, that’s what we always want to create: genuine support, authentic connections, and opportunities to help move projects from “people love this idea” to “how can we actually help?”
All while creating more space for women to make genre that is as bold, provocative, dark or, in this case, 28-bloooooody-tampons bloody as they want it to be.
WATCH THE ABOUT BLOODY TIME TEASER HERE:
DISCOVER THE TAMPON SLASHER 🩸
Writer / Director / Producer: Danielle Spontak
Production company: Spontak Entertainment
Producers: Rose McMahon + Jess Speller
Composer: Alexandra Skevington
Genre: Horror Thriller / Found Footage / True-Crime Vibes
Project stage: Development
Budget: £350,000
Funding secured: £25,000 / approximately 7%
Currently seeking: Further finance, industry connections and creative marketing collaborators
Website: https://www.spontakentertainment.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spontakent/
Event photography by: Sue Parkhill Photography https://www.instagram.com/parkhillphoto/
ABOUT BLOODY TIME 🩸
About Bloody Time: Women Are Seen was created to celebrate, connect and champion women working in genre.
The inaugural Project Showcase took place at FrightFest 2026, presented by Yes She Cannes in collaboration with Silicon Gothic and Etheria Film Festival, bringing six female-led genre projects into the spotlight.
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