Overview

This Place Is a Shithole is a fast-paced horror-comedy short directed by Will Wightman and produced by Ella Kean.

Running just over two minutes, the film is a whirlwind of stylised chaos — a sharp, self-aware nod to Hot Fuzz that packs more action and absurdity per frame than most features.

 

Noise and Order handled sound design, bringing exaggerated energy, comic timing, and cinematic punch to every moment.

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​Challenge

Despite its short runtime, the film is densely constructed — every frame filled with movement, cuts, and carefully choreographed carnage.

The challenge was to make the sound as bold and playful as the picture: big, stylised, and meticulously timed, while keeping the humour intact.

Approach​

The sound design leaned heavily into exaggeration and rhythm. Each hit, step and spray was built to land with comic precision, amplifying the film’s hyper-real tone.

Every sound was crafted to serve the edit — there wasn’t a single frame that wasn’t considered.

 

A personal favourite was designing the sound for the “Greasefucker” spray bottle, whose comically underwhealming squirt became one of the film’s most memorable audio moments.

 

The mix aimed for cinematic scale despite being delivered for online playback — balancing punchy effects and heightened atmosphere with a tongue-in-cheek sense of fun.

​​​Collaboration

Working closely with Will Wightman, the process was highly collaborative and detail-oriented.

Will’s direction was impeccable — full of confidence, humour, and taste — and together we pushed every sound to its most extreme version, matching the film’s visual wit beat for beat.

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Outcome

The result is a short that’s loud, sharp, and unapologetically over-the-top — a perfect blend of horror, comedy, and technical precision.

For Noise and Order, it was a joy to design something so fearless and finely tuned, and to collaborate with a director who shares the same appreciation for sound-driven storytelling.