THE FILMS

Monstark is an award-winning puppet filmmaker and puppeteer. His films are dark fantasy and horror, made on next to no budget: handmade puppets, sets and props, with the puppetry performed live on camera. Alongside them are collaborations made with other filmmakers for 48-hour film challenges. Together, they’ve screened across the United States and Canada, gaining fans and accolades along the way.

THE OUTSIDER

Monstark’s take on Lovecraft filtered through the sympathetic monster, The Outsider won a Best in Festival honor and screened across the United States and Canada. Made with no budget in bedroom-sized spaces, it features puppets and sets made by hand.

NIGHT-GAUNTS

Monstark’s first Lovecraft puppet film adaptation, made alone in a shed over a couple of weeks. Night-Gaunts premiered at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Providence on Lovecraft’s birthday weekend, hitting festivals across the US and Canada, then landing on the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival's "Best of 2023" bluray collection.

KAIJU FODDER

A one-minute puppet-monster bumper. Brief, bloody, and a little deranged. Winner, Best Bumper Award, Portland Horror Film Festival, 2023. It used clips from Before She Was a Moth and Monstark’s own screams to make it a little more horror.

BEFORE SHE WAS A MOTH

Official music video for surrealist avant-garde LA punk band The Manx. Designed, built and shot in a workshop the size of a bedroom, this was Monstark’s first puppet film, shot on an out-of-date phone and with no real knowledge of filmmaking.

THE PERFECT CUP

Monstark created the puppet Hans in a few hours, then voiced and puppeteered him for this Portland 48 Hour Film Project. It won the honor of Audience Favorite in 2026. Directed by Christopher Diego.

HIGHER GROUND

Monstark co-created this puppet film for Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams 48 Hour Puppet Film Project (2026). It placed second out of 115 teams and won Best Cinematography. It was written, built and shot in two days around a randomly drawn theme, object and action.