‘By Yourself’ Poster Revealed Ahead of Fantastic Fest World Premiere With Zelda Adams

Zelda Adams ventures into the wilderness in Elaine Frost’s psychological horror short By Yourself, premiering at Fantastic Fest.

A new poster has been revealed for By Yourself, the upcoming horror short from writer-director Elaine Frost ahead of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest.

The film will make its debut Sunday, Sept. 20 at 8:15 p.m., followed by a second Fantastic Fest screening Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. Both screenings will pair By Yourself with Nikias Chryssos’ Bloody Tennis.

Zelda Adams, known for the Adams Family filmmaking collective’s Hellbender and Mother of Flies, stars as a woman determined to go camping alone. Her attempt at isolation takes an unsettling turn when she discovers another tent nearby that was not there the previous night.

The simple discovery provides the foundation for a psychological nightmare that uses the vulnerability of being alone in the wilderness to explore a distinctly contemporary form of isolation.

Frost, who also works under the name Deep Red Perfect Blue, developed By Yourself around themes of loneliness, detachment and a distorted sense of identity shaped by life in an increasingly online world. The film takes those anxieties away from screens and social media and places them within the physical isolation of a camping trip where the appearance of another person should offer companionship but instead becomes a source of fear.

Adams’ involvement gives the short another connection to independent genre filmmaking. Alongside her acting work, she has been closely involved in the creation of the Adams Family’s films, including Hellbender and Mother of Flies, projects known for combining intimate character work with unconventional approaches to horror.

The Fantastic Fest premiere will pair Frost’s exploration of isolation with Bloody Tennis, the upcoming feature from director Nikias Chryssos starring Sandra Guldberg Kampp, Elina Löwensohn, Tracy Gotoas, Helena Zengel and Zlatko Burić.

The pairing also gives By Yourself two opportunities to play for Fantastic Fest audiences as Frost introduces the short on the festival circuit.

By Yourself makes its world premiere Sunday, Sept. 20 at 8:15 p.m. at Fantastic Fest, followed by a second screening Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. Both presentations will screen alongside Bloody Tennis.