Inside The Quackening: James Button on Curses, Comedy, and Chaos

the quakening Screening at Dead Northern 2025

The Quackening is a 20-minute horror-comedy short written, directed, and performed by James Button. The story follows a grumpy Welshman who reluctantly visits his grandmother, only to discover she's been cursed by a demon duck. With the clock ticking toward midnight, he must save her (and the world) from feathered doom.
The Quackening blends surreal comedy, fantasy horror, and Welsh folklore with a DIY indie spirit.

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James Button: Director

James Button is a BAFTA Cymru-nominated writer and BBC Comedy Collective director whose work spans surreal horror, satire, and indie absurdism. With over 20 short films to his name, James brings a playful but precise lens to genre storytelling. The Quackening is his most audacious project yet — a duck-driven descent into folklore, mutation, and emotional chaos.

Film Details

  • Title: The Quackening
  • Writer/Director: James Button
  • Themes: Welsh folklore, horror-comedy, cursed family dynamics, demon ducks, DIY VFX, ecological dread
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