Experimental Film

In Gemma Files's Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel, "Experimental Film," former film teacher Lois Cairns, burdened by the challenges of raising her autistic son and a struggling freelance career, stumbles upon a cryptic piece of silver nitrate silent footage. This discovery propels her into a fascinating obsession: connecting the film to Mrs. Iris Dunlopp Whitcomb, a spiritualist and folklorist who vanished mysteriously in 1918. Lois aims to validate Whitcomb as Canada's first female filmmaker, a quest that promises to carve her own legacy in the cinematic world. However, her research veers sharply from academic pursuit into a terrifying descent. The 'path of light' she uncovers is not one of enlightenment but of searing, blinding revelation—a fairy tale made real, manifesting as a 'noontime demon' demanding ancient duties. As the parallels between Lois's life and Whitcomb's become chillingly clear, her academic pursuit transforms into a desperate struggle, endangering not only her own sanity but the lives of those she holds most dear.