Gia Rayne-Harris and Joshua Zev Nathan co-directed Cairn has all the makings of a horror. An ancestral home in the country, a groundskeeper with a long history with the property, and a group of raucous youths vacationing in said home. Plenty could and does go wrong. Ada (Nyree Neil) has taken over from her father… Continue reading Cairn: The Ancestral Home as the Repository of Generational Sins and Secrets
Tag: Horror Short Film Review
The Spirit Became Flesh: Guilt and Decadence Take Shape and Take Over
In The Spirit Became Flesh, a rural community responds to its gradual disintegration by erecting a new god to worship. At 17 minutes long, director Jesse Parker Aultman packs in a narrative of desperation, the meanings of home, and the horror they are inherently capable of invoking. At the heart and the end of it,… Continue reading The Spirit Became Flesh: Guilt and Decadence Take Shape and Take Over
Khaos: An Experimental Short That Explores The Unexpected Consequences From An Outer Space Expedition
Ivan Dimitrov’s Khaos is high on ideas. And, in little under 7-minute, he manages to skillfully create the ambiance that befittingly represents it all. It is particularly admirable that he opts for a narrative that is seldom explored, much less studied in depth. For what Dimitrov does warrants beyond casual viewing. Films like Khaos demand… Continue reading Khaos: An Experimental Short That Explores The Unexpected Consequences From An Outer Space Expedition
503: A Horror That You Might Wish Upon Some
Written and directed by Francis Han, 503 is an excellent example of creative writing. That the horror genre has been over exposed for a while now is well known. So, it would, understandably, take a lot more to stand out in the category. Thankfully for Han, his 503 does that and a lot more. A… Continue reading 503: A Horror That You Might Wish Upon Some
La Leyenda del Sombrerón: Dream and Reality Merge into an Exitless Maze
Enrique A. Mendoza’s La Leyenda del Sombrerón is a 9-minute horror that has its own take on the Guatemalan legend. Taking its protagonist, the orphaned child Suzana, through a disorienting maze where nothing familiar provides comfort any longer, the story teeters between safety and danger. El Sombrerón (played in the film by Fernando Martínez) is a… Continue reading La Leyenda del Sombrerón: Dream and Reality Merge into an Exitless Maze
Silver Screen Suicide: Reality and the Present Clash with Reel and the Past
Kyle Hartford’s Silver Screen Suicide is a 10-minute flirtation with classical Hollywood. The life of a man frustrated by his circumstances is interwoven with the noir airing on TV: Silver Screen Suicide replete with the blonde femme fatale and the mysterious, jaded male character. On the other side of the screen is Paulie (DeAndre Weaver), tired, resentful,… Continue reading Silver Screen Suicide: Reality and the Present Clash with Reel and the Past
Parasomnia: Sleep Paralysis in Bite-sized Horror
Jalen Tellis’ Parasomnia is a 8-minute horror film based around the terror of sleep paralysis. Its protagonist, a man struggling with chronic sleep deprivation, faces demons both literal and figurative as he is caught in a spell of complete immobility. Through sleep paralysis, the film utilises the fear of a complete loss of control—something that… Continue reading Parasomnia: Sleep Paralysis in Bite-sized Horror
Even Saints Bleed: A Self-Portrait of the Artist in the Middle of Construction
Ricardo Bouyett’s 40-minute Even Saints Bleed exists strongly in the psychological realm, with its protagonist leaning into her trauma so as to be able to produce a finished manuscript. With two other characters occupying the world of the film, the protagonist’s story becomes a tussle between the other two as she tries to decide the… Continue reading Even Saints Bleed: A Self-Portrait of the Artist in the Middle of Construction
Love is a Fire: Body Horror Through Everyday Things
Sofie Somoroff’s Love is a Fire deals with the horrific body. Following a couple who has just moved into a new place, the film takes great pleasure in using body horror to illustrate larger, overarching problems that plague the two. Olivia (Celina Bernstein) develops a yeast infection just after the two make the move. Parallely,… Continue reading Love is a Fire: Body Horror Through Everyday Things
Barbarian God: The Thrills of a Medieval Viking Vampire
David McGuff’s Barbarian God, based on Daniel Prillaman’s play, explores what happens when a Viking vampire confronts a nun’s faith—right after killing a priest with the nun secretly watching. The film swaps out the play’s young boy for the young nun, changing the dynamics of the encounter. An undercurrent of homoeroticism runs through the film… Continue reading Barbarian God: The Thrills of a Medieval Viking Vampire