Director with Down syndrome creates a horror film with real-life meaning

A new movie by a filmmaker with Down syndrome is making waves and making a statement about how the United Kingdom (UK) treats people with disabilities.

“The Puppet Asylum” is written, directed by, and starring Otto Baxter, the UK’s first director with Down syndrome. The semi-autobiographical horror film debuted at FrightFest in August to much acclaim; the genre was a natural choice for Baxter, who loves horror movies. Released alongside “The Puppet Asylum” will be a documentary, “Otto Baxter: Not A F****ing Horror Story,” which details the six-year process of making Baxter’s movie.

In the fictional short, Baxter uses the film to process being placed for adoption by his biological parents, his relationship with his adoptive mother, and the struggles and discrimination he faces on a daily basis.

The latter of the three is portrayed in the film by an evil creature called “The Master,” who — when the mother in the film gives birth to a horned child resembling a demon — tells the mother that the baby is a monster and should be abandoned. The monstrous form is meant to be indicative of how people in the UK see people with Down syndrome. In the film, Baxter portrays himself, and frees himself from The Master. “We have this glass window, but not real glass; it was sugar glass, and it was quite easy to smash,” Baxter told Yahoo! News. “So you’re seeing me smash out of the cabinet.”

“I think there should be more [opportunities],” he continued. “We’re equal.”

READ: Study reveals doctors still present Down syndrome diagnoses with negativity

In an interview with the Independent, Baxter and his co-collaborators, Peter Beard and Bruce Fletcher, further discussed their projects together. “Our rule was that when Otto had an idea, it didn’t matter how crazy we thought [it] was, we would follow that idea to its final destination and see where it took us,” Beard said. And it paid off: they didn’t understand the character of The Master at first, until Baxter was able to make them understand it represented how he is disempowered each and every day.

The film also delves into his relationship with his adopted mother, Lucy, who is portrayed in the film as trying to protect him from The Master, only to eventually be killed — a sign of Baxter’s fear of what will happen when he no longer has someone in his life to advocate for him in an ableist world. But his hope is that he will, a little at a time, be able to make a difference for people like him.

“Come out from the shadows,” he said. “You can do it. It’s a revolution!”