Appendage Writer/Director Anna Zlokovic on Expanding Her Short Into a Frightening Feature

Writer/director Anna Zlokovic first delivered audiences the disturbing short film "Appendage" back in 2021, though since first diving into the world of anxieties manifesting themselves as literal creatures, she has since returned to that world to expand the concept into the feature film Appendage. More than just expanding the run time, this new take on the concept brought together more characters and mythology for Zlokovic to dive into, all of which were rooted in the real-world concept of envisioning mental struggles as being a part of yourself, yet one that you could separate yourself from. Appendage is now streaming on Hulu.

When speaking with ComicBook.com about the inspiration for the original short, Zlokovic explained, "Honestly, it was anxiety. It was just having anxiety, having imposter syndrome, not knowing what to do with those emotions. I had a session in therapy probably 10 years ago or something where my therapist was like, 'Let's try this exercise where we separate your anxiety from yourself and we can have a conversation. Maybe we describe it, but just create a character from it.' And that always stuck with me. I think when I was trying to make this movie about anxiety, I was like, 'Hmm, that could be really, really cool. A cool monster movie.' And so that's where it came from."

Appendage is described, "Hannah (Hadley Robinson), a young fashion designer, seems fine on the surface, but secretly struggles with debilitating self-doubt. Soon these buried feelings begin to make Hannah physically sick and sprout into a ferocious growth on her body: The Appendage. As Hannah's health declines, The Appendage begins to fuel her anxieties -- her perceived lack of talent at work, her deteriorating relationships with her boyfriend and best friend, and her parents' lack of love and understanding. At her breaking point, Hannah makes a shocking discovery -- there are others out there like her."

Much like real life, the mythology of the Appendage feature film was more layered, with the feature allowing Zlokovic opportunities to expand on those sources of anxiety.

"You can only do so much with five and a half minutes. So I was really excited to dive into a longer form thing where we could delve in and recontextualize and be like, 'Okay, we talk about work. And then it's like three layers of Hell when we go into family relationships and then just deep childhood trauma.' And that was kind of exciting to expand it in that way, narratively," the filmmaker expressed. 

Returning to this world for a feature didn't only bring an abundance of opportunity, but also some challenges.

"I think the tone was the biggest challenge. I always wanted it to land in this really nuanced place that was unexpected. I didn't want it to be too funny because I think if it went too campy, it would not be as sincere in terms of Hannah's struggle," Zlokovic pointed out. "And then if it's too dark, it's too isolating. So that was always the biggest challenge of where do we add humor? What are those moments? It's dark humor and how do we balance that with the psychological drama that fuels the whole story?"

After first doing a short horror-comedy and now expanding it into a feature horror-comedy, Zlokovic knows the iconic character she set her sights on.

"I would love to do a Frankenstein movie, so bring it on," Zlokovic confessed. "I think it'd be so rad. I think that story is emotional on so many levels, and I am very attracted to emotional horror."

Appendage is now streaming on Hulu.

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