In the intimate and vulnerable moments after a new romance begins, a young woman discovers a strange mark on her skin—a hickey that is far more than a simple love bite. This chilling short horror film from writer-director Ella Rhodes taps into a primal fear of intimacy and the unseen, as what starts as a playful souvenir from a night with her new boyfriend, played by Gabriel Rivas, quickly morphs into a source of escalating dread. As the protagonist, portrayed by Khaleesa Alexander, tries to understand the unnatural blemish, she finds herself isolated and questioning her own sanity, with friends like those played by Elena DeLuca and Caroline Kim unable to grasp the true terror unfolding.

The film masterfully builds an atmosphere of creeping paranoia and body horror, transforming an ordinary symbol of passion into a vessel for something deeply unsettling. As the mystery of the mark deepens, the line between physical attraction and physical invasion horrifically blurs. With a tense runtime that delivers a sharp, potent burst of fear, HICKEYS explores the terrifying idea that the things we invite closest to us might carry a hidden, monstrous cost.