As the spring season blooms, Alex Gruenenfelder’s Horror Boy Productions is stirring the horror genre pot with the unveiling of Little Pet, a bold and daring entry that marries BDSM elements with a horror narrative. You can see the trailer for Little Pet on YouTube. This feature marks Gruenenfelder’s directorial debut in the world of full-length films, following the success of his acclaimed short, The Saga of Psycho Girl. Gruenenfelder, a prodigious talent who graduated from UC San Diego at nineteen and even ran for Mayor of Los Angeles at twenty, is now turning heads with his first major film project at twenty-two.
Little Pet introduces Vivian Tran in her breakout role as Linda Baxter, a tormented submissive caught in a toxic relationship with her lawyer boyfriend, Sebastian Charles, played by the compelling John Lauri. The cast is rounded out with talents such as Brittany Joyal, Mason Greenberg, Alana Dietze, Mykall Davis, Jay Sosnicki, and Chaney Belle, each adding depth and intrigue to the story’s dark corners.
The film dives deep into Linda’s life as an animal shelter volunteer whose mundane existence is violently upended following a mysterious dog bite. This incident propels her on a tantalizing journey of self-discovery and empowerment, set against the vibrant yet shadowy backdrop of Los Angeles’ kink scene. With its heart-pounding narrative and visually stunning portrayal of desire and dominance, “Little Pet” is poised to captivate audiences with its exploration of sexual power dynamics and personal liberation.
The genesis of Little Pet began when Gruenenfelder was just seventeen, driven by a fascination with the extremities of sexual power dynamics. Financing the film through his earnings as a stilt walker at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Gruenenfelder has managed to create a film on a modest budget that does not shy away from exploring the depths of fetish, nightmares, and wild desires. Filmed at his family home and the iconic Stockroom sex shop in Echo Park, Little Pet promises to be a film that shocks and awes in equal measure, delivering a narrative as provocative as it is visually arresting.
