Watch “The Door 2024 (It Wasn’t There Before),” a chilling horror short film by Alexander Seltzer. Discover the terror behind the mysterious door.
🚪 It Wasn’t There Before (The Door ) 2024 — Horror Short Film by Alexander Seltzer
A grief‑soaked psychological horror with a sci‑fi shimmer, It Wasn’t There Before traps its audience in a kitchen where reality bends, morality blurs, and a mother’s love becomes something terrifying. Written and directed by Alexander Maxim Seltzer, this Canadian short takes a simple premise — a door that shouldn’t exist — and turns it into a slow‑burn nightmare about loss, obsession, and the dangerous bargains we’re willing to make.
🧭 Overview
- Genre: Horror / Sci‑Fi Thriller / Drama
- Director & Writer: Alexander Maxim Seltzer
- Producers: Mark Delottinville, Sam Rudykoff
- Cast:
- Tanaya Beatty as Kara — a grieving mother
- Raymond Ablack as Felix — her estranged husband
- Mercedez Gutierrez as Ellie — their missing daughter
- Runtime: ~14 minutes
- Country: Canada 🇨🇦
- Language: English
- Release date: 18 October 2024 (USA)
- Production company: Big Pig Production Co.
- Festival spotlight: HollyShorts Film Festival 2024, among others
- Tagline: Be careful what you open.
Watch full short:
📖 Story in Brief
A year after their young daughter Ellie disappears, Kara and Felix’s marriage is crumbling under the weight of grief.
One morning, Kara walks into her kitchen and sees it: A door. Perfectly ordinary. Perfectly impossible. It wasn’t there before. 🚪
Drawn to it with a mix of dread and hope, Kara becomes convinced that what’s behind it could change everything — maybe even bring Ellie back. But the more she stares, the more the door seems to stare back.
Her fixation deepens, pulling her away from Felix and into a dangerous spiral. The door becomes a test: of love, of sanity, and of how far a parent will go when the rules of reality no longer apply.
🛠️ Creative DNA & Director’s Vision
In interviews, Seltzer has said he makes films about things that scare him — and here, that fear is parenthood itself. Not the joy, but the vulnerability: the idea that love for a child could push you past moral boundaries.
- Moral ambiguity: The ending forces viewers to ask themselves, Would I do what Kara did?
- Domestic horror: The kitchen — a place of comfort — becomes the site of supernatural intrusion.
- Minimalist world‑building: The door is never over‑explained, making it more unsettling.
- Performance‑driven: Tanaya Beatty’s Kara is raw, haunted, and impossible to look away from.
- Visual restraint: Cinematographer Justin Black keeps the camera close, letting the actors’ faces carry the dread.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
- 🎯 Tight focus: One location, one central mystery, maximum tension.
- 🎭 Emotional weight: Horror rooted in grief, not just jump scares.
- 🏆 Festival‑ready polish: Strong performances and clean, deliberate cinematography.
- 💬 Conversation starter: Leaves audiences debating morality long after the credits.
Cons
- ⏳ Short runtime: Some may crave more backstory on the door’s origin.
- 🌀 Ambiguity: Viewers who want clear answers may find it frustrating — though that’s part of its power.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
- Grief as a haunting: Loss reshapes the world, making the impossible feel plausible.
- Parenthood & morality: How far would you go to save your child?
- Obsession: The danger of fixating on what might be, instead of what is.
- The unknown: Fear and hope often live in the same locked room.
👥 Who Is It For?
- Horror fans: Especially those who love psychological and domestic horror like The Babadook or The Others.
- Drama lovers: Viewers drawn to character‑driven stories with supernatural edges.
- Festival audiences: Those who appreciate short films that balance genre thrills with emotional depth.
💡 Humanized Takeaway
It Wasn’t There Before (The Door) 2024 short film isn’t just about a mysterious door — it’s about the doors grief opens inside us. Seltzer uses horror to ask a deeply human question: when love and loss collide, will we recognize ourselves in the choices we make?
🔍 Find More & Watch
- IMDb page for The Door — full cast, crew, and production details.
- YouTube listing — official upload/trailer.
- Daily Ovation interview with Alexander Seltzer — on parenthood fears, moral ambiguity, and crafting suspense.