Rising Horror Filmmaker Marcos Justo Wins LACHSA Rising Star Award for ‘The House of Dr. Cross’
Watching our friends thrive in the horror community is exactly the reason why we started Local Haunts in the first place, and we’re so excited to share our friend Marco’s short film, ‘The House of Dr. Cross.’
While the short film isn’t publicly available just yet, we do have a press release about it, and our review will be up soon!
Chloe Garcia as Eden
Emerging horror filmmaker Marcos Justo received the Rising Star Award at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) Sundown Film Festival for his original horror-comedy short film, The House of Dr. Cross.
Blending gothic horror, dark comedy, retro music influences, and stylized visuals, The House of Dr. Cross follows a struggling young man who falls under the influence of the mysterious Dr. Lucien Cross, a charismatic dentist whose promises of transformation come with terrifying consequences.
The film features Daniel Roebuck as “The Entertainer,” alongside performances by Michael Zampino, Chloe Garcia, and Teddy Wachs. The film’s centerpiece musical sequence features “Purgatory” performed by LVCRFT & Monte Revolta, helping define the film’s energetic horror tone and theatrical atmosphere.
Several key sequences, including the film’s eerie dental office scenes, were filmed on location at Mystic Museum, whose immersive horror environments helped shape the visual identity of the production. Additional production support and creative development were provided through the professional studio environment of LA Acting Studios.
Created through a collaboration of student artists and independent filmmakers, The House of Dr. Cross combines practical effects, stylized production design, and ambitious visual storytelling while introducing Marcos Justo as a promising new voice in horror filmmaking.
“This project started as a school assignment and evolved into something much bigger,” said Justo. “I’m really grateful to everyone who believed in the film and helped bring this strange world to life.”
The House of Dr. Cross was produced by TCCK Films in collaboration with Ferox Cinema and has been submitted for consideration to the Midsummer Scream Screaming Room Film Festival.
Public release date to be announced.
