Saturday, April 30, 2022

Horror Shorts Reviews: April 2022

Horror Shorts Reviews for April 2022

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Filmmakers, please note: usually, I do not review films (unless requested) that appear on sites like Alter and Screamfest, because they have a known platform, which is great, while I would rather focus on films with no sponsored online affiliations. These films are not in ranked order, but rather alphabetically listed by first letter.

 

The Dead Record
Directed by Nate Thompson
Novaland Films; Spooky Films; Nate Thompson Videos
16:34 minutes, 2022
In Toledo, OH, a record and film store proprietor, appropriately named Louden (the director), has just closed up and is restocking, when there is a knock on the door and a mysterious stranger (Kenny Urban) with a wicked smile drops off a package that contains an LP, with a warning. The vinyl is a rarity (only 50 pressed) and of course, it comes with a curse. The film flows quite well as it swirls around the aisle of the store, following Louden and his friend Sammy (Dakota Musarelli) as they talk. As a collector myself, the conversation between the two feels very accurate, though the way Louden physically handles the record, especially being a rarity, is shocking to me (no true collector would handle a rare record by the vinyl, but only by the edges), but I digress… I have to admit I had to watch it twice, because I kept getting distracted by trying to see what were the albums in the cases, but that’s okay since the story was interesting enough to watch both times. And the character of evil here (Madeline Malice) is effective in the story. The ending was a bit obvious, as are most horror shorts, but it leans more to the psychological as much as for the shock values, which makes it a fun listen and watch. The soundtrack is definitely dark metal, opening the film up with a blast, which was another nice touch. I actually jumped at that. This is the second of Nate’s short films I have seen, and I am duly impressed. I am looking forward to seeing his feature release of Cult Affairs.
Full film HERE 

 

Ignore It
Directed by Sam Evanson
McMuffin Creative
6:33 minutes, 2021
A family’s home has a recurring and unwanted guest: a ghostly woman who will kill unless she is ignored. The family does its best over the dinner table to be as normal as possible while the spirit is among them. The parents and the two children try their best but, you know… This is a pretty good thriller based on more than one jump scare, and the effects are well done. A strong point is the background music which is consistent (and, of course, dissonant), keeping the mood going. There is obviously little background to the story other than this is not its first appearance. I don’t know how they know to ignore it, but that’s part of the missing exposition that really isn’t needed anyway, since this is, after all, a short. Very effective with an excellent cast.
Full film HERE

Let Them Eat
Directed by LaShaunte Wade
Dark Creeds Productions
15:16 minutes, 2021
When Megghan (lanky Lauren Molina) and her husband Kyle (Roman Jacob Bolyen) has Kyle’s co-worker and mistress, Julie (Lindsay Miller) over for dinner, there’s a lot at – er – steak. Megghan is on the verge of opening a new restaurant and Kyle is a successful lawyer, with high aspirations for their lives to get richer and tasty. Things quickly get twisted and weird, but the film takes its time to unfold, relatively speaking for a short with three people, mostly sitting around eating and drinking. There are subtle events and conversations that tell the viewer that there is something off, but it is certainly not what one might be expecting, and that’s the fun of this piece. It paces itself well, and doesn’t try to rush anything. The visuals are pretty stark and the VFX are quite stunning, and does not rely on jump scares to be effectively horrifying. An actor, dancer, model, and chef, this is the director’s first film, and it shows an immense sense of talent and purpose. I look forward to her future work.
Full film HERE 

 


Mother Father Monster
Directed by Sean Breathnatch
Ego Productions Ireland
9:06 minutes, 2019
https://www.facebook.com/MotherFatherMonster
A gothic tale about an energy drink? Well, the first part of that question is accurate. Mr. Wolsey (Mark Lawrence) is hired at an Irish stately home (the Charleville Forest Castle) to be a butler and tutor in the 19th Century. Upon his arrival, the deeply dimpled and stern Lady Charleville (Irene Kelleher) warns him, in Pandora Box/Bluebeard fashion, that he must never enter a particular upstairs room. The film is highly atmospheric, as gothic films should be, and the castle – even in a state of neglect – is reminiscent of the setting of The Haunting (1963), full of turned wood staircases and musty rooms. It’s mood and texture are quite stunning, and the editing is sharp. While some of the story may seem obvious to anyone with a history of genre films, there were still a few pleasant surprises that quite make this worth the viewing.
Full film HERE 

 

Poster: TBD

The Thing Next Door
Directed by Marcus Kelly
9:22 minutes, 2020
A twenty-something (Bethany Russell) lives on her own in a nice house. The people next door have mysteriously disappeared. And what’s that glowing red light and slime trail that starts to show up in her house? In this dialogue-less short, we don’t get to learn too much about the protagonist, who is the only character in the film (other than a brief shot of a policeman played by the director), shows lots of emotion, conveying how she feels well through her facial expressions.  The film is shot quite beautifully (but what’s with the insects and toothbrushing so common in house-bound horror shorts?), especially one transition between a drain and a full moon. From the sounds of whatever the thing next door is, I was imagining it looks like a Cthulhu kind of deal, as this almost comes across as a radio story for the eyes, with the b-roll standing in for narration. Lots of use of both the filmmaker’s and the viewer’s imagination. I quite liked this meat and potatoes release. Unfortunately, I could find no poster, no photos of the film to include in the review. If I get one, I will add it in later.
Full film HERE 

 

Within
Directed by Rory Wood
16:42 minutes, 2021
A troubled couple, David (David Lewis) and Tegan (Lisa Chandler), are walking through the woods around their house outside Vancouver when their young teenage son, Ben (Ridley Havok McLeod), finds a spider-like creature about a foot long near a den. This has a marked effect on David, as he starts staring into space and drinking heavily at home. He seems to be either obsessed or possessed by whatever is in that den, which we see in bits and pieces. As with other cryptid forest creatures such as in Jug Face (2013), it must be fed, as David goes all Jack Torrance. This is an excellent creature feature with beautifully handled photography by Kyle Gherman (especially around the dinner table). The film is long enough for the viewer to get a sense of the relationships between the characters, and make them relatively real, rather than just present. Totally enjoyable.
Full film HERE 

No comments:

Post a Comment