Writer/Direct: WENDY WANG Producer: WENDY WANG | ANNALEA FIACHI Cinematographer: SUNG-KUONG

SYNOPSIS

After being kidnapped, Julian wakes up in a stranger’s basement, where another child already lives—and where survival means playing along with the man who calls himself “Dad.” As the boys form a fragile bond, they plot an escape from a twisted domestic nightmare. The Man Upstairs is a tense, psychological horror about identity, obedience, and the resilience of children under unimaginable pressure.

UPCOMING SCREENING

HORRORIGINS 2025 - Saturday September 27, 2025

Galaxy Theatres Tucson
​​100 S Houghton Rd, Tucson, AZ 85748​

CHARLOTTE FILM FESTIVAL - Saturday September 27, 2025 6:40PM - A Case of Everydays

https://charlottefilmfestival.org/2025/tickets-passes/

Independent Picture House
​​4237 Raleigh St, Charlotte, NC 28313​

FILMQUEST 2025 - Provo, Utah - OCT 23-NOV 1. 2025 - SCHEDULE TBD

HORROHAUS 2025 - Santa Clarita, CA - OCT 24-26 - SCHEDULE TBD

PAST SCREENING

LA International Shorts Festival 2025 - World Premiere

Atlanta Underground 2025 - Best Short Nominee

Etheria Film Festival 2025 Finalist

San Diego Film Festival 2025 Semi Finalist

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

The Man Upstairs was inspired by my own experiences navigating fear and control as a child. While the story is fictional and heightened, it draws from the emotional reality of growing up in an environment where love and violence were often intertwined. I wanted to explore what survival looks like for a child who learns to adapt, to perform, and to find moments of hope in impossible circumstances. Horror gave me the language to express those emotions — not as a literal retelling, but as a way to process and transform them.