Wellington, New Zealand
SPOOKY
PICTURES
Feature films, festival-winning shorts and commercial work from writer‑director Jason Stutter.
About
Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter is a Wellington-based writer, director and the founder of Spooky Pictures. He started out as an editor; his early credits include The Making of The Fellowship of the Ring, before moving behind the camera with the kung‑fu caper Tongan Ninja in 2002.
Across six features and award-winning shorts he's built a career blending genre comedy with horror, from the cult Careful with that… trilogy to the haunted-house thriller The Dead Room and the 2024 comedy Clamped. His films have screened at over one hundred international festivals.
Spooky Pictures has also delivered commercial and content projects for some of New Zealand's top creative agencies, backed by an in-house high-end post-production suite in Karori, Wellington, where the resident tūi and kārearea drop in most days.
Alongside his film work, Jason works in virtual production and VR. His games company, Spooky Pictures Games, is developing VR titles for Meta, Steam and PlayStation VR2.
The film that travelled the world
Careful with that… Trilogy
Three comical cautionary tales about handling sharp (and not-so-sharp) objects with insufficient care. Winner of the Golden Spike Award at Valladolid International Film Festival, and one of the most widely screened New Zealand shorts of its era, playing at over 100 festivals worldwide.
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Careful with That Axe! (2008)
Careful with that Power Tool (2009)
Careful with that Crossbow (2010)
Filmography
Feature Films
Click a poster to watch the trailer.
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Tongan Ninja (2002)A kung-fu action-comedy about a Tongan warrior on a mission of revenge in the suburbs of Wellington. Co-written with and starring Jemaine Clement.
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Diagnosis: Death (2009)A horror-comedy where two strangers meet as guinea pigs in a weekend drug trial, and discover the side effects are a great deal more lethal than the brochure suggested.
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Predicament (2010)In 1930s small-town New Zealand, a naïve teenager is pulled into a blackmail scheme that takes a murderous turn. Stars Jemaine Clement, Heath Franklin, Hayden Frost and Tim Finn.
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Edwin: My Life as a Koont (2013)The story of Edwin Rouper, a CEO afflicted with "Koontz Syndrome" who heads to Hollywood to raise awareness for Koontz sufferers. Bryce Campbell won Best Actor at the LA Comedy Festival 2013.
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The Dead Room (2015)A scary haunted-house thriller starring Jed Brophy. A team of paranormal researchers spend the night in a remote Otago house and very quickly wish they hadn't. Sold internationally and distributed in the US via IFC Films.
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Clamped (2024)Comedy-horror about a young pilot who makes an emergency landing at a rural airfield and finds himself on the run from crazed locals who want to eat him.
For brands & agencies
Commercial Work
Spooky Pictures produces work for New Zealand's top advertising creatives and agencies: full production and post‑production, out of our own suite in Karori, Wellington. Get in touch for a quote.
Get in touch
Contact Us
For all enquiries please fill in the form, or email [email protected] directly. We do not accept unsolicited screenplays.