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.
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.
