Starry Eyes 2014

Sarah Walker (aspiring actress) is stuck in a dead-end job, waiting tables at a fast-food establishment, while her friends offer little support or encouragement. Erin is relentless in her pursuit of stealing Sarah’s spotlight, whereas Tracy and aspiring director Danny are apathetic to her struggles. Sarah’s prospects for stardom seem bleak until she takes a chance on auditioning for Astraeus Pictures’ film, The Silver Scream. Initially met with indifference by the casting director and their assistant, Sarah’s frustration boils over, prompting her to unleash a primal scream in the bathroom, only to regain the attention of the casting director. This peculiar display prompts them to request another demonstration of her emotional range, which Sarah reluctantly complies with.

The audition process proves to be an ordeal for Sarah, as she is subjected to increasingly bizarre and unsettling demands. Despite her reservations, she acquiesces to the casting director’s requests, including disrobing and surrendering to a trance-like state. As she becomes more entranced, Sarah begins to exhibit erratic behavior and displays an uncanny sensitivity to her surroundings, noticing the subtle details of the casting director’s pentagram-adorned necklace. However, when asked to take things further by engaging in a compromising act with the producer, Sarah reaches her breaking point and flees the audition.

Sarah chooses to abandon her mundane job to pursue this enigmatic opportunity with renewed fervor, only to be summoned for a second audition shortly after. During this encounter, she is once again pushed to her limits, forced to confront the blurring of reality and fantasy as she becomes lost in a haze of euphoria. As she begins to unravel, Sarah’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and her physical appearance starts to deteriorate.

The fragile thread of sanity frays further when Sarah discovers Danny, her supposed ally, embracing Erin at a pool party celebrating his new film project. Consumed by anger and hurt, Sarah seeks solace in the arms of the producer, surrendering to an act that will forever alter the trajectory of her life.

As the days pass, Sarah’s grip on reality falters further, and she becomes plagued by vivid hallucinations and an escalating sense of desperation. Her body begins to betray her, as her hair and nails fall out, and her once-vibrant spirit is reduced to a mere shadow of its former self. The final blow comes in the form of a gruesome vision, as Sarah discovers her own reflection transformed into that of a glamorous starlet. In a desperate bid to reclaim some semblance of control, she retreats to the bathroom, only to find herself vomiting forth a torrent of bloodied maggots, as if the very essence of her being had been exorcised from her body.

As Sarah responds to the producer’s phone call, she’s presented with an existential dilemma: surrender to mortality or undergo a transformative metamorphosis. Choosing the latter, she sets out to confront Erin at her residence, their conversation escalating into a heated debate over the exchange of bodily intimacy for cinematic roles. However, the atmosphere shifts dramatically as Erin is met with Sarah’s disfigured visage under the harsh glow of kitchen lights. Erin’s initial concern for Sarah’s well-being is short-lived, as she attempts to persuade her to seek medical attention. The situation quickly spirals out of control when Sarah turns on her tormentor, unleashing a torrent of violence that claims multiple victims within the house. As the carnage subsides, Sarah realizes Erin is attempting to escape, and with calculated ruthlessness, suffocates her with a plastic bag. Outside, Danny’s van becomes the next casualty in her rampage.

Following this descent into chaos, Sarah is introduced to the true nature of Astraeus Pictures – a clandestine cult worshiping a demon of the same name. As she’s surrounded by an array of candles, Sarah is reborn from a crimson membrane amidst a ritual that marks out a pentagram-shaped emblem with rods imbued with eerie luminescence. Emerging from this bloody crucible, Sarah is reborn with a flawless, youthful complexion and a hairless physique – a gift-wrapped box awaiting her arrival adding an air of mystery to the proceedings. Upon returning to her apartment, Sarah’s violent tendencies resurface as she claims Tracy’s life before donning the trappings of Astraeus’ gift: a black gown, a luxuriant brunette wig, and a silver pentagram pendant. As she admires her reflection in the mirror, her eyes begin to glow with an otherworldly green intensity, signaling a profound transformation that will forever alter her existence.