Imagine, you have been away from home for a while. You come back to the place, knowing everything will be as it always was, waiting for you in welcome. But when the door finally swings open to show you the familiar hallway, an unfamiliar face stands in the way, keeping your safe space from you.… Continue reading The Stranger: Family Drama, With The Horror Of Impostors
Tag: Horror
Luccica: A Victorian Horror Musical For The Daytime
Do not misunderstand the headline and presume this short to be an ancient tale. It is very much a modern-era story. One of a young man and his bride who moves into a Victorian house only to encounter the worst of their fears. Writer-director-editor Jesse Mcanally’s Luccica is a 10:30-minute film about a ghostly apparition… Continue reading Luccica: A Victorian Horror Musical For The Daytime
REM: Blending Real Fears With Horror Tropes
REM sleep is when we are known to dream the most. The wildest. The vividest. And on the unfortunate days, also the scariest. Hector Quijano’s REM blurs the line between the safe reality of sleep and dreams, and chilling horror. Its setting in a parapsychologist’s office does not help matters either. Dr. Serling (Gary J.… Continue reading REM: Blending Real Fears With Horror Tropes
The Invitation (Die Einladung): The Horrors Of Fitting In
Thorsten Schade’s 24-minute Die Einladung, or The Invitation, follows a young, ambitious man as a business meeting brings him an invitation to dinner amongst an informally exclusive group. But this is a horror flick, so of course, there is more to it and not what said the man would like. Tom Renner (Orestes Fiedler) is… Continue reading The Invitation (Die Einladung): The Horrors Of Fitting In
Dweller: Sci-Fi Reflecting The New Normal, And A Few Warnings For The Future
Although Fraser Denholm’s Dweller was made in 2019, it comes with painful resonance after spending a year in isolation, quarantine, and lockdowns. The 35-minute sci-fi horror introduces us to a man who has spent 4000 days alone in a bunker while humanity was faced with the threat of extinction. This sounds only vaguely familiar. Just… Continue reading Dweller: Sci-Fi Reflecting The New Normal, And A Few Warnings For The Future
Ding… You’re Dead: Self-Aware Horror Comedy About Wonky Appliances
Jay Salahi’s horror-comedy Ding… You’re Dead is a paradise for 20-somethings on crack. Featuring a malevolent microwave (hence the title), and a housesitter in fuzzy slippers and a robe that do not look like they belong to him, Ding… You’re Dead goes all out to make a name in the world of all that is… Continue reading Ding… You’re Dead: Self-Aware Horror Comedy About Wonky Appliances
The Change: Post-Apocalypse Drawn With Semi-Realism
Nick Anderson undercuts the horror in his post-apocalypse story with drama, bringing a measure of realism to a genre that is usually brushed off as too absurd to be real. The Change, heavily influenced by its genre, follows a group of children in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The grownups are all zombies now… Continue reading The Change: Post-Apocalypse Drawn With Semi-Realism
Ayuda: Small Updates on The Classic Horror Film
Ayuda. Spanish for help. Patrick Mason’s Ayuda, a neat little horror film, circles around people’s urge to help, sometimes at personal cost. Touching upon immigration issues as well, Mason structures Ayuda to be a set of new features on a conventional story and its telling. David LaMorte and Caleb Vasquez co-star as Tomas and Leo,… Continue reading Ayuda: Small Updates on The Classic Horror Film
Empty Nest: Sinister Stories Back Home
A horror, Empty Nest is surprisingly well put together upon repeat viewings. As is it disappointingly feeble and unconvincing nearing its concluding moments. In writer-director Joe Craib’s Empty Nest, we meet Alison (Erica Hill), hand in a cast, a sketchbook in her lap, doodling circles. Alison, an artist, is moving back in with her parents,… Continue reading Empty Nest: Sinister Stories Back Home
A Most Savage Beast: The Unexpected Virtue Of Being A Poor Horror Flick
Often in films with a psycho-stalker for the main character, the character in question will be blissfully unaware of the gravity of their actions. Nay, they are aware of the gravity; it is the morality of it that they neither realise nor particularly care about. In most such films, the characters are compelling and the… Continue reading A Most Savage Beast: The Unexpected Virtue Of Being A Poor Horror Flick