As a Prelude to Fear (2022)
(Also known as "A Prelude to Fear"; originally completed in 2021)
Plot: Eve Taylor, a talented young cellist, is kidnapped while on her way to a music lesson at a remote farmhouse. She wakes up imprisoned in a dingy, dungeon-like basement, where a masked captor with a distorted voice forces her to play complex musical pieces perfectly—or face brutal punishment. As Eve discovers she isn't the only woman being held, the narrative shifts between her harrowing struggle for survival and a slow-burn police investigation. Detective Barnbrook, a grizzled investigator haunted by a cold case, becomes convinced that the kidnapper is "The Pied Piper," a serial killer who evaded him years ago. The film explores the dark intersection of obsession, artistic perfection, and a desperate race against time.
