Short Film Review: STRUCTURE KILL (2012)

If you’re a horror film fan then you are very familiar with the scene in the film where a lone woman is walking through a parking garage at night to her car and something awful happens.  This is the basis for the short film Structure Kill (2012) which describes a masked killer who is just having a really bad day. 

A young woman (Genevieve Farrell) walks through a parking garage to her car.  She is spooked by the eerie silence and can’t wait to get into the safety of her car only when she fills gets into her car she is suddenly spooked by the masked killer (Jake Nordwind) waiting to stab her.  All does not go as plan for the killer as he fell asleep in the back seat while waiting for the woman and now must explain his actions to her before he kills her.  What follows is a farce of killer clichés.

For the most part some of the jokes actually do work but the Samara references from The Ring (2002) seem a little out of place and neither Farrell nor Nordwind and pull off the comedy when the jokes fall flat.  This being said it is an interesting concept for a short film.  Directed by Stephen Vitale (who is also the cinematographer and editor) the film looks good as it is confined to a single location for the most part and it moves at a brisk pace leaving no fat on the bone so its short comings are slight at best.

You can watch the film on FearNet here - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/structure-kill

Short Film Review: PLAY DEAD (2011)

Nothing can prepare so the zombie apocalypse, or so they say.  But if a zombie apocalypse did happen, how would you react but more importantly how will man’s best friend react?  This is the question that the Meza-Valdes brothers’ (Andres & Diego) short film Play Dead (2011)tries to answer as the zombie apocalypse is seen through the eyes of dogs who are no longer on man’s leash (although one dog in particular is on the leash of its zombie turned owner for most of the film). 

Humans are just meat puppets to the zombies as we see how four different dogs handle their masters being killed and how their lives are ultimately changed.  Since zombies don’t really care for dog meat they’re pretty much left alone and instead of running for the hills some of the dogs find love while others search for the Dog Bar, where all their dreams will come true.  Eventually, all the dogs’ converge as they discover that the zombies are the least of their worries as there are other monsters out there in this new world.

The Meza-Valdes brothers keep the tone of the film very light despite the graphic nature of the film and the action and stunts are truly impressive especially the explosions and fire FX.  You’d think this was a major Hollywood production instead of an indie film short.  The original score by Colin Frangicetto aids tremendously in complimenting the comedic tone (additional music is by Amigo The Devil and Rachel Goodrich).

All in all this is a better film than I expected due to the fact that despite the unusual nature of the film, the filmmakers keep the tone and mood from venturing in caricature territory delivering and entertaining yet horrifying little film.

You can view the film at FearNet here - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/play-dead

Short Film Review: A LITTLE OFF THE TOP (2012)

Short films work if there is a punch at the ending that makes everything that came before it worth the wait.  I cannot say that this has never been more true than in director Adam O’Brien’s film A Little Off The Top (2012).  This is the story of a hair stylist by the name of Sylvio (played by the charismatic David Nerman) who has an old client by the name of Ingrid Clifford (Ingrid Falaise) in his chair one evening.  Ingrid is now a star of which Sylvio helped mold and style her on her way to the top only Ingrid has never credited Sylvio for his contributions.  Now that he has her in his chair he will put the wrong things right whether she likes it or not. 

For the most part the film seems to be held together by the unnerving Sylvio who plays up his sin of envy very well.  Nerman is magnetic in the role and since he carries the whole film a less capable actor could have made this a disastrous affair.  Thankfully, Nerman brings the right edge of jealousy to his Sylvio so that he never comes off as a caricature.  The screenplay by Mathieu Demers and Christian Rivest is precise with the right amount of dread and doom.  O’Brien does the film justice by staying on Sylvio for most of the film and leaving Ingrid to the periphery as we see everything as he sees it.  When Sylvio presents his true intentions upon Ingrid it is a shock leaving the final punch for those that stayed with the film till the bitter end.  Like every good short film A Little Off The Top ends with a jolt that you want soon forget.  

O’Brien goes a long way to show that you don’t need much to craft a good horror film but that little has to go a long way and in this film it truly does.

To watch A Little Off the Top you can view on FearNet here - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/little-top or visit the website BloodbathTV at http://bloodbathtv.com

Short Film Review: AT THE FORMAL (2010)

A teenager’s formal has never been as deadly as depicted in writer/director Andrew Kavanaugh’s film At the Formal (2010).  Despite having a simply story structure the technical feats of the film are anything but.  The film opens with a young boy being held in the air by fellow classmates as he is reluctantly lead to the house of where the formal is being staged.  This isn’t a school but a regular home which looks even more out of place from the very subtle things that you wouldn’t normally see at a formal which is alcohol for the kids, people pissing in the bushes, grown men grabbing onto teenage girls and goats that have their way in the yard.  Everything appears normal but underneath really isn’t until the young boy is finally brought to the alter of the house at which point an older man strips and brandishes a large ceremonial knife before the boy.  Nothing is as it seems in this film. 

The film is at its best when it is shaping and showing the viewer the world that the young boy finds himself in.  The first four and a half minutes is done in one continuous take with very methodical and repetitive music motif that keeps the viewer on edge waiting to know what will come next.   Passing from one character to the next, the camera peaks into the lives of each of the guests of the formal.  It isn’t until the camera finds its way back to the original young boy that the camera cuts.  It is also at this point where the music also takes a turn for the dreadful and the true horror of this formal is finally revealed.

The trick of this film is getting to the punchline at the end which could have been very mundane but Kavanaugh’s instincts to do the first half of the film as one continuous take pays off creating a truly unique short film that relies on its visuals rather than dialogue (which there is none in this film).

You can watch At the Formal on FearNet here - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/formal

Short Film Review: RECEPTION (2011)

Writer Jasper Marlow and director Dane McCusker have crafted an interesting and cautionary tale in their short film Reception (2011).  An expectant mother Evelyn (Jessica Tovey) is working the night shift at a hostel when she is asked to investigate strange noises coming from one of the tenant’s room.  Despite being apprehensive about becoming a new mother what she discovers in the room of the tenant from which the strange noises originate will force her to come to grips with her own reluctance.

At less than 8 minutes, Reception gives viewers an alternative look at motherhood from someone who may not have wanted to become a mother but had it thrust upon her.  The magic in the film is that this is all done through art direction and cinematography.  The very first scene has Evelyn deciding whether or not to take a drink of wine.  Once she enters the room of the tenant she is thrust into a world of teddy bears and children’s toys that assault her directly and chastise her for all the bad decisions that she’s probably made since learning she was pregnant.  It’s a hard truth that she must confront when she learns the true horrors that await her inside the room.

Director of photography Michael Steel does a great job bringing out the horror that awaits Evelyn simply through the choices of saturated colors which are even more enhanced by the music of Sam McCusker.  This is a creepy and unsettling film that doesn’t rely on a lot of blood and gore and has something more to say than many of the other run-of-mill short horror films.

You can watch the full film online at FearNet - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/reception