Review: Silver Screamers

Synopsis
A heartwarming and spine-tingling documentary that follows a group of spirited senior citizens as they embark on an extraordinary adventure far outside their comfort zones: creating a horror film.

Directed by Sean Cisterna, Silver Screamers offers an uplifting and charming look at what happens when novice retirees dive headfirst into the world of independent filmmaking. The documentary chronicles an intrepid team of seniors tackling every stage of production to bring their own campy horror short to the screen. It recently played to an engaged crowd at Ottawa’s ByTowne Cinema, presented by the Canadian Film Institute as part of their “For Mature Audiences” (FMA) series.

The project came together after the Orillia-based director hit a dead end with traditional film funding. After receiving a flyer from his local MP about the New Horizons for Seniors grant, Cisterna turned his failed pitch into a hands-on filmmaking workshop. He secured funding to make both a short film, an Edo van Belkom adaptation starring Jayne Eastwood about a killer carpet, and a documentary about the process. Pitching horror to local retirees, however, raised plenty of eyebrows. At the post-screening Q&A moderated by Sarah Lamoureux, Cisterna joked about a concerned daughter calling him: “My mother says you’re going around the community asking seniors about blood and decapitation and things like that.”

When 96-year-old Audrey signed on, she sparked a chain reaction that inspired seven more volunteers to join the production. When asked if anyone dropped out, Cisterna recalled that “these are the only eight that said yes,” and every single one of them remained fully dedicated from day one. Standout crew members include Audrey recording sound, Sonny operating the camera, and colorful props master Anthony, who cheerfully blows his budget on a favorite rug. Together with an inventive effects team, they enthusiastically figure out how to stage a killer carpet that swallows victims whole.

Managing the physical stamina of an aging crew required a smart production setup. For insurance and practical reasons, Cisterna paired the seniors with younger crew members who carried the heavy equipment, then split the senior participants into six-hour shifts so everyone had ample rest. Along with seasoned Canadian screen stars Jayne Eastwood and Tony Nardi, the project kept growing as word spread, eventually drawing in an entire local seniors choir to contribute music to the film.

The experience turned out to be just as transformative for the director as it was for his rookie crew. During the Q&A, Cisterna admitted that making movies can feel routine after twenty years in the industry, but this cast completely changed that: “When this new group kind of walked onto the set the first time with their big eyes, and just everything was so new to them, and they had these big smiles on their faces, that kind of renewed our love of filmmaking.”

That enthusiasm only multiplied as production moved forward and the participants grew bolder with the material. As Cisterna noted with a laugh, “On day one, they were like, ‘Oh, I don’t know, I’ve never done this before… I don’t want people to laugh at me.’ And then by day three, they’re like, ‘Okay, let’s add more blood to her and let’s kill him that way.'”

Along the way, the crew discovers newfound confidence and builds lasting friendships. The 12-minute short film they produced, The Rug, has even become a viral hit, with Cisterna marveling at the audience reaction: “Somehow over the last few months, it’s gone over to like 600,000 views, so someone is watching senior-based horror movies.” The short also gained national attention when it was featured on Season 18 of CBC’s Short Film Face Off in August 2025. Full of warmth, big laughs, and genuine inspiration, the feature-length documentary Silver Screamers proves that creativity truly knows no age.

You can watch Cisterna’s documentary Silver Screamers on TVO’s YouTube page, and the short film The Rug is available on CBC Gem and on YouTube.

More info & links:

• Director: Sean Cisterna
• Writer: Sean Cisterna
• Producers: Sean Cisterna, Ivonete de Sousa, Judy Gladstone
• Cast: Diane Ament, Sonny Lauzon, Lucia Paterra Catania
• Silver Screamers Official Website
• Silver Screamers on IMDB

Jith Paul

Web Designer, Editor, Film Reviewer

Jith Paul is a communications professional, digital strategist, and filmmaker whose career spans digital systems, platform architecture, and cinematic storytelling. A Waterloo Engineering and Algonquin Television Broadcasting graduate, he founded Treepot Media and co-founded the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival. His award-winning films have screened internationally, including Algebra at Entr’2 marches in Cannes and A Clean Slate, winner of Best Short at Valle d’Itria in Italy. He leads film613, which celebrates local Ottawa–Outaouais screen culture.

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