First stop Bermuda, the next the world ? at least that is the plan lifelong horror film aficionado Christian Zabriskie and his wife Vicky have in mind as they focus on the first of their four films, ?Take a Bath?, making its big screen debut next week.

With 11 hours of filming behind them, and the hypothetical cutting room floor swept clean, the couple are currently riding a wave of anticipation knowing that the ?tiny film from a new Bermudian film making group? has been selected for inclusion in the March 17 ?Midnight Madness? line-up of the Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF).

?Z Clan Productions, the company which made the film, is deeply honoured to be chosen to screen at the Bermuda International Film Festival,? Mr. Zabriskie says.

?BIFF?s reputation has grown to the point where short film competition is intense. To be an official selection by this prestigious festival is a real honour for this small start-up organisation.?

Described by its makers as a ?flash-fiction drama?, they define ?Take a Bath? as being ?a story so short that the audience is thrown directly into the midst of the conflict?.

?Although the characters are complex individuals with a long history together, there is no time for long explanations or slow builds.?

Local actors Rebecca Hanson and Jym Brier bring a highly dysfunctional household to life, and viewers are required to ?jump into the story and discover the visceral details for themselves?.

Shot over one 12-hour day in a townhouse on Boaz Island, ?Take a Bath? is a ?seat-of-the-pants production that relies on story and performance over experience production values,? Mr. Zabriskie says. ?Bermuda can claim the film as her own. Ex-pats and Bermudians aged 17 to 71 were integral to the production.?

Mr. Zabriskie is the author of the film, while his wife and creative partner, Vicky, is the director.

In fact, ?Take a Bath? is part of a larger anthology of horror films made here, the other three of which are in the post-production phase.

?The quartet is both homage to, and exploration of, the diversity of the horror genre,? Mr. Zabriskie says. ?The four scripts speak to different types of horror movies. There is a ghost story, a monster movie ? being in Bermuda, a sea monster of course ? a vampire film, and the psychological horror story which screens next Friday at the Little Theatre at 11.55 p.m.?

Mrs. Zabriskie, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in film from Florida State University Film Conservatory, has a background in film production.

Clearly delighted with the reception of their work thus far, the director enthuses: ?We have been incredibly lucky to be part of such a close and sympathetic community. The response in Bermuda for this project has been amazing. We would never be able to complete this project without the help of the business and artistic communities of this Island.?

?This is a truly modern Bermudian project,? Mr. Zabriskie says. ?Vicky and I are from the United States, and there is a core group of Bermudians as well as other ex-pats from all over. This is such a cauldron of talent, and it is exciting to be part of a national film scene.?

The Zabriskies are also actively involved with children in the local community. Mrs. Zabriskie is an instructor with the BIFF Film Academy, and runs film summer camps in July and August, while her husband is ?Mr. Z?, the assistant librarian of the Bermuda National Library Youth Division.