Inspiration
I’ve always been a horror lover. I’ve seen literally every horror movie out there. Five years ago, I wrote my own horror film script, but never had the resources to make it real. The AI revolution finally gave me the tools I needed to bring it to life. The idea came to me when I was 22. I realized that horror is full of ghosts of nuns, priests, demons, and spirits from every culture, but not a single one of a dead Muslim woman in a niqab. Growing up in a progressive Muslim family, that image always scared me deeply. Turning this figure into the ghost of a dead woman felt like creating a new kind of horror icon, something between “The Conjuring” and “Insidious,” but with a cultural twist. The story is set in Eastern Europe, in a forgotten post-Soviet neighborhood filled with poverty, concrete, and existential dread, an atmosphere far more haunting than any American suburb. At its core, it’s a story about a man and his pregnant wife, trapped in a cycle of lies and guilt as he drags her into the illusion of a safe space that’s really his own nightmare.
What it does
HERESY is a short AI-generated horror film, the first to introduce a demonic spirit embodied as a Muslim woman in a niqab, a figure that turns faith and fear into one haunting symbol. Blending supernatural horror with emotional realism, the film explores the illusion of safety, the decay of truth, and the quiet terror that hides within the human mind. Set against a post-Soviet landscape of loneliness and despair, HERESY transforms psychological horror into a reflection of modern guilt and isolation.
How we built it
The film was created using Kling 2.5, Veo 3.1, NanoBanana, ChatGPT, and ElevenLabs for voice generation and replacing. Editing, color grading, and sound design were done in Premiere Pro. Every element, from images and animation to sound and lip-sync, was done entirely by me.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest challenge was building consistent long-form storytelling in a completely AI-generated environment. I had to visualize and “construct” the apartment setting entirely from imagination, without 3D modeling support. I regenerated each scene over 50 times to maintain proper geometry, lighting, and continuity across shots.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I’m proud that the entire film was created using only AI tools, from visuals to sound, while keeping a strong cinematic tone and atmosphere.
What we learned
I learned how to combine multiple AI tools into one creative pipeline and control AI outputs to fit a clear storytelling vision. Along the way, I also discovered new techniques for generating interior scenes and visual consistency. I handled everything, from concept to animation, editing, and voice acting (performed by me and transformed using ElevenLabs).
What's next for HERESY Horror Film
Next, I plan to upscale all frames, expand the runtime to 20 minutes, and pitch the film to streaming platforms. The world deserves to see this story, a new kind of AI horror experience.
Built With
- chatgpt
- elevenlabs
- english
- kling2.5
- nanobanana
- premierepro
- veo3
