ROT is gearing up for a spring shoot, with Cat Del Re producing alongside Jessy Greer under their We’re There Films banner. The project promises intimate terror wrapped in psychological chaos—exactly the kind of body horror that sticks under your skin and refuses to let go.

Set in a grounded, deeply personal world, ROT follows Astrid (Aurora Perrineau), a woman whose own body begins to betray her in surreal, escalating ways. As her physical reality warps into nightmare fuel, Astrid is forced to face the emotions she’s spent her life suppressing. Beneath the gnarly transformations is a story rooted in shame, memory, and the painful but freeing act of telling your truth—no matter how monstrous it feels.

Casting continues to expand, but the film’s behind-the-scenes talent is already stacked. Cinematographer Andressa Cordeiro, VFX artists at Dexter Studios, and award-winning sound designer Rick Hromadka (The Strangers, The Wild Robot) are all onboard. Their combined work has earned Emmys, Grammys, and Academy recognition—exactly the pedigree you want when crafting body horror that claws its way into your psyche. And with this genre, sound can be the sharpest blade of all.

Cordeiro is fully invested in the film’s unique vision: “Every cinematographer dreams of a script like Cat’s. It’s bold, original, and refreshingly honest. With ROT, we’re exploring uncharted territory—and I couldn’t ask for better guidance than Cat’s.”

That “uncharted territory” is Ut-e, ROT’s original creature creation brought to life through ambitious and entirely practical effects.

Built in the spirit of ’80s and ’90s creature classics, Ut-e will appear on screen through full on-set puppetry. Five different functional puppets have been engineered, each designed for specific movements and emotional beats. Ut-e is described as a universally relatable presence—possessing the emotional warmth of WALL-E and the generational appeal of Gizmo from Gremlins. But here’s the twist: Ut-e isn’t a robot or a cuddly creature—she’s a body part, transformed into something uncanny and unforgettable.

This combination of raw psychological unraveling, intimate character work, ambitious practical FX, and darkly comic self-destruction is already setting ROT up as one of the most intriguing body horror projects on the horizon.

Stay tuned for more updates as ROT continues to take shape.