Fantastic Fest 25: “The Cramps: A Period Piece” Finds Humor in Period Pain
Periods have been called many things throughout history. Aunt Flo, the crimson wave, shark week, the curse…you get it. Even though the menstrual cycle has been around since the dawn of humanity, there’s still a sense of taboo that lingers around this natural, cyclical event. It’s rarer still that periods are given the spotlight in pop culture. That’s not the case with Brooke H. Cellars’ The Cramps: A Period Piece. The film, which will have its world premiere at the 2025 Fantastic Fest, is everything the title implies. A tongue-in-check look at how much of a pain in the uterus it is to deal with menstruation.
The premise is a bit like Cinderella. Agnes Applewhite (Lauren Kitchen) lives with her holier-than-thou mother (Brooklyn Woods) and perpetually prim sister (Harlie Madison), but struggles to fit in with them. While her sister is willing to bend to their mother’s will, Agnes’ dreams are too big for their claustrophobic home. Sure, they aren’t her step-family, but Agnes’ relationship with them mirrors those in Cinderella. Her escape comes in the form of a job as a shampoo girl at a vibrant salon. While there, Agnes experiences menstrual cramps like never before and struggles to find a doctor who will take her pain seriously.
Courtesy of Warped Witch Cinema
The Cramps, from its poster to its visual style, belongs to a different era. The John Waters influences are apparent, but Cellars imbues The Cramps with a warmth that isn’t always apparent in a Waters flick. When the film shifts to a more body-horror angle, the gooey guts are more reminiscent of the 1958 version of The Blob than The Substance. The blood in The Cramps isn’t meant to frighten, it’s meant to feel like a catharsis. When we’re so used to ignoring periods at all costs, The Cramps won’t go too far without Agnes’ painful cramps rearing their ugly head. The existence of the horror genre comes from a desire to speak about the things that were considered taboo, and The Cramps is following in that tradition by turning the menstrual cycle into a monster-esque entity that lives within. This is not a movie that ends with celebrating the “beauty” of this cyclical act, but Agnes does find solace in people who take her pain and her desires seriously.
There’s a low-fi nature to The Cramps that makes the entire film all the more charming. It’s shot on 35mm film, and the special effects look to be practical, adding an endearingly personal quality to the film. The Cramps acts as a reprieve for all the times people talking about periods have been silenced or ignored by friends, family, and medical professionals. The film is loud about its frustration while weaving in a secondary storyline about the ragtag group of haircare professionals banding together to save their salon. The world of The Cramps is a dreamy Technicolor land of drag queens, 1960s set decoration, and big, beautiful hair. With the heart of Cellars translated through the weirdness of Waters, The Cramps: A Period Piece is a cult classic in the making.
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