Grandpa Tells Stories

An elderly Grandpa recounts three chilling tales of the supernatural from his youth in India. But the monsters were a prelude to his true battle: confronting the lifelong grief for his missing sister.

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Inspiration

As a child, my grandparents narrated horror folk tales from their village. While I loved the fear and mystery, it was the endings that stayed with me. Each story concluded not with the monster, but with a quiet lesson on life, love, and loss. I’ve carried those memories for a long time, and it wasn't until the rise of AI filmmaking that I finally found the tools to bring their emotional depth and supernatural worlds to life. This film is my attempt to capture that same feeling: that the greatest fear isn't the fictional monsters in the shadows, but the all-too-real truths we are not ready to confront within ourselves.

What it does -

Grandpa Tells Stories follows an elderly storyteller Rajan as he recounts his youth in 1970s India when he chased folklore and hunts supernatural entities. His journey unfolds across three chapters, each an haunting and emotional encounter with a different being: a Chalawa (a desert "trickster" that mirrors desire), a Jokhini (the tragic spirit of a persecuted woman), and an ancient Peymakilir (a "vampire" that feeds on grief). Each encounter forces Rajan to confront his own profound grief for his lost sister, Asha, culminating in a devastating choice on a ghostly train where he must choose between his missing sister or save the innocent young boy.

How we built it

It all started with the screenplay. For me, it was essential to not just showcase India's rich folk tales, but to weave them into the very personal, emotional story of our hero, Rajan. I spent weeks diving into obscure legends, and slowly, a story began to form. The first step into building visuals was with Midjourney, helping me create the initial images for the locations, characters, and the entire feel of the world. When it came to bringing it all to life, Kling AI was my main tool. I had a lot of experience with it, so it felt like a natural, reliable choice for the heavy lifting. Later in the process, I brought in Seedance and Sync 2 for a few specific shots that just needed a different touch. The audio was deeply personal for me. I used ElevenLabs for all the voices, and I spent a lot of time crafting a brand-new, custom voice for Grandpa. I really wanted him to sound warm, emotional, and feel like someone you could truly connect with. Finally, I turned to Epidemic Sound to build the entire soundscape—the music and effects that really give the film its soul.

Challenges we ran into

Since I started working on this short back in June/August, we didn't have the more polished tools we have now, especially for character and location consistency. A big challenge was finding solutions to this without compromising the look and feel of the story. All the preliminary shots were imagined using Midjourney, but the real work was in the R&D—figuring out how to make a series of images and shots tell a single, continuous narrative. By the time image creation tools became easier to use, we were already more than halfway through production and had to see our established process through.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I feel proud that Grandpa Tells Stories has resonated really well with me, and the audience. Since the whole short film consists of three chapters, I released the first two chapters as they were ready to get audience reaction and feedbacks. And fortunately Chapter 1 - The Whispering Tomb - was selected for Macabre & Mayhem Fest Season 2 by Escape Media AI, and Chapter 2 - Jokhini - won the Audience Favorite Award in AI Horror Competition 2025 by Curious Refuge and Leonardo AI.

What we learned

My biggest takeaway is this: right now, the AI Filmmaking world is showcasing technical spectacles. But the more I work as an AI filmmaker, the more I'm convinced that in the long run the tools don't matter. They are just a medium. Eventually, the only thing that will remain—the only thing that has ever truly mattered—is a good story that makes you feel something.

What's next for Grandpa Tells Stories

Currently, I am submitting it to more film festivals to reach audiences across different regions. Additionally, I am pitching second part of this story to Brands and Platforms for Sponsorships.

Built With

  • elevenlabs
  • freepik
  • higgsfield
  • kling
  • midjourney
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