ISOTRE Films, and director Peter Klausner are thrilled to announce STOMACH IT is now live on CRYPT TV. Following a prestigious festival run at some of the most renown film festivals in the world, from Oscar-qualifying festivals from Nashville to Screamfest, Comic Con, Indy Shorts, FilmQuest and Panic Fest to name just a few, and now to Cannes, Peter Klausner’s “punch to the gut” film explores the psychosomatic horrors of unprocessed trauma. Melding the practical effects of Nightmare on Elm Street with the psychological decay of Videodrome, Director Peter Klausner delivers a blood-soaked meditation on the essence of detachment and isolation.
STOMACH IT premiered on Crypt TV on Friday, May 15, 2026 and can be viewed directly on Crypt TV by clicking here. There has also been standing room only screenings in Cannes to high acclaim presented to worldwide distributors and audiences by Lon Haber & Co.
Starring Jon Lee Richardson (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F), STOMACH IT is a relentless descent into fixation and corporeal terror. The film has garnered strong critical praise for its uncompromising imagery, atmosphere, and disturbing thematic core. Written and directed by Klausner and produced by Klausner alongside Torey Rubin (RWBY, Zall Good), STOMACH IT explores the psychological toll of emotional detachment taken to a grotesque extreme.
In the film, a crime-scene cleaner struggles to separate his professional responsibilities from the deeply personal artifacts left behind by the dead. During a late-night job, he becomes convinced that a monstrous presence is watching—and manipulating—him, forcing a confrontation between compartmentalization and self-destruction.
“I’ve been a fan of Crypt TV for years, and it’s been such a valuable place to watch and learn from these innovative horror shorts. I’m so happy Stomach It will be playing on the channel, and I think their viewers will appreciate the body horror route we took with the film,” said Klausner.
“Crypt TV is excited to premiere Stomach It, going live this Friday (May 15, 2026) and is proud to partner with the best horror, thriller, and sci-fi short films,” said Dan Bush, Director of Post Production and Distribution ZATV, Inc.
Gut Reactions
Critically acclaimed by top media outlets across all platforms worldwide, STOMACH IT has been garnering interest and an ever-expanding fan base from audiences, the press and industry members alike. Film Threat has praised STOMACH IT for “glorious” practical effects, where the film proves that independent body horror is still the most potent lens for the human condition. Dread Central had also championed the film, saying, “Klausner smartly grounds his short in reality before veering into creepier horror territory, making the film all the more unpredictable and entertaining. It’s a fascinating look at an underexplored career when it comes to genre filmmaking.” Rue Morgue hailed STOMACH IT as “a brutal and haunting meditation on the cost of bearing other people’s horrors,” while HorrorBuzz praised writer/director Peter Klausner for delivering “an atmospheric and provocative squirm piece that entertains and disturbs.” Reel News Daily described the film as “particularly unhinged—and most certainly genius,” underscoring its bold creative vision, and Horror Fuel noted that Klausner “does a terrific job of delivering a film steeped in an increasingly eerie atmosphere and gory body horror.” Macabre Daily said: “Stomach It asks us to confront the ways that exposure to death and the macabre will find a way inside even the most hardened of individuals. As we watched the story unfold, we found ourselves sympathizing with Joel and his fellow cleaners but also the paramedics, morticians, therapists, and myriad other professionals who must expose themselves to such daily traumas to protect the rest of our society from its impact.” Macabre Daily went on further to praise the film in depth, “Stomach It offers viewers a powerful punch to the gut. That the film can do so in such a short period and with only one character appearing on-screen is a testament to Klausner’s skill behind the camera…the small details that Klausner attends to with the camera allow the darker corners of our imagination to fill in the blanks.”
Dissecting the Crime Scene with Audiences all over the world
STOMACH IT’s main character, Joel (Richardson), fixates on objects left behind by the deceased such as a child’s wooden horse at an accidental shooting or a colorful toy at an overdose. Joel tries to detach by turning photos around, disposing of final meals, covering photos on mirrors, and covering personal objects like stuffed animals, but it doesn’t work. Joel has an incredibly difficult time trying to digest his trauma. Literally. The film quickly distinguished itself on the circuit, earning strong critical praise from genre outlets for its uncompromising practical effects, oppressive atmosphere, and psychologically driven body horror. Critics highlighted the film’s visceral imagery and confident direction, cementing STOMACH IT as a standout short among contemporary horror offerings and helping build demand for its wider online release.
The Methods Behind the Madness
Inspired by how Black Swan employs body horror to externalize a character’s psychological unraveling, STOMACH IT uses visceral physical effects to visualize the protagonist’s internal deterioration. Rather than relying on digital enhancements, the film leans heavily into tactile, practical effects to ground its psychological terror in something disturbingly real.
Drawing influence from the hands-on craftsmanship of 1980s genre classics, the creative team collaborated closely with special effects makeup artist Michael Dinetz (Avengers: Infinity War) to bring its visceral body horror to life through practical work.
Among the most striking was a custom-built stomach air bladder which, when inflated, created the illusion of a grotesquely pulsating abdomen. For scenes requiring intestinal forms to ominously emerge in the background, the film’s carpenter constructed a three-dimensional wooden stomach rig. Mounted on rods and puppeteered beneath a fitted sheet, the effect allowed for subtle, organic movement that heightened the film’s sense of unease.
These techniques represent only a portion of the practical effects employed throughout STOMACH IT, reinforcing the filmmakers’ commitment to analog horror and emphasizing the physical manifestation of psychological collapse.
Death Comes to Life in STOMACH IT
Writer/director Peter Klausner, born and raised in Los Angeles, was profoundly influenced by his grandparents, Harriet and Milt. Harriet instilled the importance of visual detail and Milt introduced him to the power of storytelling through firsthand accounts of life during the Great Depression. Those early lessons in narrative and emotional honesty laid the foundation for Klausner’s creative voice. However, it wasn’t until his girlfriend, Giselle, introduced him to the horror genre that his artistic path fully crystallized.
By merging the emotional depth of storytelling with the expressive extremes of horror, Klausner discovered a visual language that allowed him to externalize personal fears and psychological anxieties. Horror became not just a genre, but a vehicle for self-expression—one that has helped shape some of his most striking and unsettling work to date.
Immersing himself fully in the genre, Klausner found inspiration in the work of masters such as Wes Craven and David Cronenberg, channeling raw emotion into films marked by visceral imagery and uncompromising intensity. His increasingly bold approach has earned him a growing cult following, particularly among genre audiences drawn to his blood-soaked, psychologically charged storytelling. Looking ahead, Klausner is actively developing multiple feature-length projects and plans to explore a wide range of horror subgenres in future work. Klausner and his creative team are currently in pre-production on a found-footage horror feature film inspired by true events with further details to come.
STOMACH IT marks Klausner’s third collaboration with longtime friend and cinematographer Emily Tapanes, whose credits include The Morning Show (Apple TV+), A Man on the Inside (Netflix), and The Sex Lives of College Girls (Max). Their continued partnership reflects a shared visual sensibility rooted in atmosphere, tension, and character-driven storytelling.
Klausner also worked with editor Liam Molina, a close collaborator and Tapanes’ husband. Molina’s credits include Fallout (Prime Video), Chief of War (Apple TV+), and The Mosquito Coast – Season 2. His precise editorial approach plays a key role in shaping the film’s escalating dread and psychological rhythm.
Richardson, whose credits include Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Bug, and I Met My Murderer Online. Based in Los Angeles, Richardson is currently studying at The Groundlings and produces weekly sketch comedy content alongside his wife, Vanessa. He is represented by Momentum Talent and Mills Kaplan Entertainment.
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