Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet
Cardio
Directed by Petr Cerny
The Black Company
2:58 minutes, 2020
This Czech-originated
short is actually a pretty compelling story for its brief amount of time. Even
with subtitles, you don’t really need to read along, just follow it’s to-the-point
story of a person who works (runs?) a warehouse, and is stalked by hooded
figures after closing time, as they chase him down. The image flickers in and
out like a heartbeat, as the tension for this poor schlub picks up. Are they
robbers, creatures of the night, or perhaps something even more sinister? It
passes as fast as a – er – heartbeat, but may leave you satisfied as it
did me. Great things about really short films is that you don’t need a
build-up, just get to the meat-n-taters, and that is exactly what goes on here.
Film available HERE
Into the Mud
Directed by Pablo S. Pastor
10:16 minutes, 2016
The film opens up with
a quite naked Maria Forqué in an isolated forest, injured and laying on some
plastic like a victim of a serial killer. She takes off, and for the majority
of the film, she is hunted by Ramôn G. del Pomar. But as it is with most genre
films, events are not necessarily as it seems and, while I had an idea of the
basic premise twist, I was not expecting what arose in the ending, which turned
out to be quite satisfying. There is no real dialogue, so the fact that it was
filmed in Spain should not deter you as there are no subtitles. The action is
pretty shallow so there’s not much thinking needed by the viewer; it’s an
enjoyable tenth of an hour. I say watch it twice, and see the clues to the
ending you missed along the way. There’s a good chance you’ll end up with a
smile on your face, and Forqué is quite – er – a catch.
Full film HERE
MIRЯOЯ
Directed by Simone Miccinilli
Mitch and Co. Productions
4:59 minutes, 2016
The mirror, as a
magical doorway to a demon world is hardly fresh. It wasn’t new when Carpenter
used it as a theme in Prince of Darkness (1987). But this Italian film senza
dialogue plays with it without missing too many of the associated tropes.
Massimo Bulgarelli has a new wardrobe that has the titular mirror on the front.
He starts seeing Sara Canino in it, but not in real life. He gets understandably
scared. While holding a hammer, will he do a Tommy and smash the mirror
before whatever it is gets out of hand? Worth watching. Director Miccinilli has
made a few shorts since this one, but this was his first (and not listed on
IMDB at the time of this writing for some reason). When you’re done watching
it, click on the production company name at the bottom and see some more well-made
shorts.
Full film HERE
Not Alone in Here
Directed by David Sandberg
6:17 minutes, 2020
Director David Sandberg and his muse, Lotta
Losten, have established a style that is at the very least consistent through
all their films. A woman is alone, and there is something inhuman in a semi-human
form that is preying on her. This is the first film I’ve seen by Sandberg with
some dialog (in narration form), and it will be the third that I have reviewed
for this blog. It is effective for two reasons: the first is that there is a
bit of dark humor interspersed throughout. The second is that there is usually
a decent jump scare involved. Well, here there are more than one. You would
think the same theme would get tiresome, but the duo seem to keep on working it
better each time, even though their first now infamous short I watched, Lights
Out, has a couple of tropes that have become nearly iconic. Oh, and there’s
a fun “Making of” video on YouTube, as well.
Full film HERE
Zoë Rising
Directed by Paul Rachman
6:01 minutes, 2014
For those not in the
know, Zoë Tamerlis (Lund) was the star of such genre gems as Ms. 45 (1981)
and co-screenwriter for films like The Bad Lieutenant (1992).
Tragically, this magical and beautiful actor died at a young age in 1999 as a
result of years of drug usage, just as her career was beginning to truly take
off. This film is a love letter to her, though the principal character is Zoë’s
mom, sculpture Barbara Lekberg, who died in 2018. Truly, this is about both of
them, but focuses on Zoë’s childhood. We see some of her diaries, and bits of
her work, both in film clips and photos. Her elderly mom talks of Zoë with some
regret, wishing she could have stopped her daughter from getting involved in
the film industry, but one cannot keep the creative mind from exploring. It’s a
sweet, sentimental piece, and Tamerlis and genre fans can find some affection
here.
Film available HERE
Zoë XO
Directed by Paul Rachman
6:22 minutes, 2004
While Rachman’s second
film that focused on genre actor/writer Zoë Tamerlis (Lund), her mother and
early years (see review above), this earlier one is more about her later period
and death through the eyes of her (separated) husband, Robert Lund. The viewer
gets to sit shotgun in Lund’s car as he drives around (I am assuming New York
considering the flashing neon lights) and talks about different phases of her
personality, their life together and her relationship beyond when she moved to
Paris (where she passed about a year later). While Robert remains on screen, he
is overlapped with images of Zoë, in both film clips and stills. Again, it’s a
sentimental piece that doesn’t focus on her career as much as Zoë Rising, but does give an insight into the person who inhabited the role and
wrote genre screenplays beyond.
Full film HERE
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