When Chantal Massuh set out to make her debut film, she didn’t just draw from imagination.
She shared her diary with the world.
“I’ve been an online sex worker, dealing with losing family and friends because of it, and dealing with the stigma surrounding it,” says Massuh, 33.
Massuh dabbled with being a cam girl amid the pandemic—a time when the online sex work industry saw exponential growth.
OnlyFans, a major platform for online sex work, saw the number of users increase from 7.5 million in November 2019 to 85 million in December 2020—an increase of over 1000%.
Massuh’s film, Thirst Trap, is a raw and glamorous exploration of the realities of sex work, wrapped in the guise of a horror. It follows Riley Ann played by Grace Gordon, who is trying to survive in Los Angeles by working as a cam girl, while dealing with a stalker.
Shot on a shoestring budget of $20,000—$7,000 of which Massuh earned from camming—the film delves into many themes, including isolation, mental health, and the male gaze.
Now streaming on Mometu and soon to be available on Tubi, Thirst Trap resonates with audiences around the world—with premieres in Brazil, Portugal, Italy and here in Canada where the film debuted at the Toronto Indie Horror Film Festival on Oct. 4.
As the film makes the rounds with various debuts, it’s important to remember it was produced in just 14 days.
Massuh had to be resourceful in making Thirst Trap come to life. “We scheduled everything to a tee. I did everything in two takes,” she recalls.
“I was footing the bill, so I moved very quickly. I really had to kill myself to make it all happen,” she says.
Massuh’s determination stems from a lifelong passion for filmmaking. She knew from age 12 she wanted to make movies.
A graduate of the esteemed Rochester Institute of Technology, she was handed a camera on her first day in college while studying film & video production.
“Everyone says you learn from books, but you best learn from being on the ground,” she says.
Prior to directing Thirst Trap, Massuh worked on more than 40 features. It’s why she felt it was time to tell her own story, on her own terms.
“Filmmaking is such a gatekept industry. You need to have connections. But the less money you have, the less equipment you have, the better story you need.”
It’s why Massuh tapped into her vulnerability and shared a personal narrative. And as Thirst Trap’s global reception illustrates, it’s a narrative that is resonating with many others.
Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles, the film captures the city’s notorious dark energy—one that eats away at the dreams of those who want to make it big in the entertainment industry.
“I 100 per cent believe that LA has a dark energy,” Massuh says, who is originally from Miami but has been living in LA for nearly a decade.
In that time, she’s also noticed the growing wealth disparity in the city where nepotism is rampant.
“There’s a lot of despair and desperation, and it creates that dark energy.”
Isolation is a recurring theme in the film, too, mirroring Massuh’s own experiences while camming in LA.
“We have created these online virtual realities,” she says, adding that may people have large followings on social media but might only have a handful of friends in the real world.
“In reality, we’re just alone in our room.” And for online sex workers it’s even more lonely, as seen with Riley Ann’s predicament.
In one scene, Riley Ann witnesses a female pimp assault a sex worker on the street. The scene aims to highlight the horrors of sex work not just in the virtual world, but also in the real world.
“It’s why Riley Ann is scared to leave her virtual reality because even the real world is so scary.”
Violence against sex workers is something Massuh has witnessed in real life. And for her, nothing is scarier than reality.
“When I think about horror, I don’t think about gore. I think about what’s scary in real life—that’s violence, that’s rape,” Massuh says.
Massuh is candid about the challenges sex workers face today.
“They face harassment, STDs, people can’t get the health protection that they need because the industry is not regulated in the U.S.,” she says.
“People get taken advantage of.”
Massuh adds that large platforms where online sex work is thriving tend to side with viewers in cases of disputes. In some cases, entertainers are scammed out of money and have nowhere to turn.
“It’s because sex work is so frowned upon,” she says.
Another theme in the film is the role of the male gaze. Massuh says she wanted it to be a part of the movie to illustrate how women are viewed, especially as sex workers.
“You’ll notice that every time [Riley Ann] talks about her problems on live chat, everyone leaves,” she says.
“Everyone wants you to be a doll. They want you to give that fun, cutesy fakeness. No one is here to see you talk about your problems. They’re just here to see your tits,” Massuh says, adding that she wanted audiences to see how one-dimensional the male gaze is.
Despite the heavy themes, Massuh sees her film as a beacon for others and is flattered by the reception. “The amount of people who say it resonates with them is quite humbling,” she says.
The film is nominated for several awards and Massuh has already won the Fearless Filmmaker Award at SIMI Film Fest.
“It’s incredible, and it’s my wildest dream come true,” Massuh says.
And for those who aren’t sure whether they should chase their dreams?
“Don’t worry about perfection. Just go for it.”