The path of Daniel Jamal Judson’s Sheltered is predetermined, perhaps with the addendum, under constant conditions. The conditions do remain unchanged as its protagonist hurtles towards his unintended destination like an unstoppable force. There is no immovable object here to provide conflict. Sheltered is the story of and by Caleb (Tim Johnson), a homeschooled teen… Continue reading Sheltered: The Latest Flare-up of Generational Crisis
Tag: Thriller Short Film Review
The Watcher: A Silent Wrangling with Failure
When viewing Nathan Sellers’ The Watcher it is hard to really be taken in by its serenity. On the contrary, its effect is immediately unsettling, accompanied as it is by a recording of a cultish sermon. But that is only the beginning. There is a pronounced attention to textural and sensory detail, from a closeup… Continue reading The Watcher: A Silent Wrangling with Failure
Uroboros: Warped Time and Other Horrors of Oppression
Diarmuid Donohoe’s Uroboros is a depiction of historical, gendered trauma in 20th century Ireland. The film sets out to portray the fractured mind of its protagonist with a non-linear narrative, showing the reach of trauma, and through it, the reach of the tyrant at its root. Sunning by a lake surrounded by cliffs, the rosy… Continue reading Uroboros: Warped Time and Other Horrors of Oppression
The Housewife: Best (Biased) Laid Plans and How They Go Awry
Jeremiah Kipp’s thriller The Housewife turns the tables on assumptions about the women who stay at home. Following the abduction of a woman and her kindergarten-aged son, the film founds itself on bias and the dormant capabilities it can sometimes fortunately neglect to see. Written by and starring Kelly A. Turner, the proof of concept… Continue reading The Housewife: Best (Biased) Laid Plans and How They Go Awry
Maladjustment: The Horrors in Lived Experience
Anatasha Blakely’s Maladjustment is a horror harnessing the unique experience of the pandemic lockdowns of a past that is yet to recede into the crevices of memory. Its ten-minute runtime feels much longer for the stifling intensity of the story, following a couple speed-burning their way through a few stages of love. Ben (Allen Regimbal,… Continue reading Maladjustment: The Horrors in Lived Experience
Bonding: A Spy Mystery Before the Thrills Come In
Luke Rex’s Bonding has a lot less to do with making friends than with avoiding vexing potential enemies. The 13-minute film borrows from the legacy of James Bond to create its own story, a new association being forged in a bar in the wee hours between an unwilling psychologist and an agent who has decided… Continue reading Bonding: A Spy Mystery Before the Thrills Come In
Open Door: Micro Thriller About A Terrifying Catastrophe
Kevin Cate’s mystery thriller Open Door runs to under four minutes, almost all of which is dedicated to an unexplained—but in every way unavoidable—horror for its two characters. Stuck in an elevator on free fall from somewhere around the 80th floor, a sharply dressed pair, co-passengers for what was to be a brief minute, are… Continue reading Open Door: Micro Thriller About A Terrifying Catastrophe
Interstate: Time Floating Out of Joint on the Edge of Nowhere
Samuel McIntosh’s Interstate is a case of creative use of constraints. Made on a low budget, the visual style of the film is left of conventional that, combined with its sound, evokes a dreamlike state. As its protagonist contemplates the nature of life vis-à-vis work, the plot progresses with a comedic slant as if to… Continue reading Interstate: Time Floating Out of Joint on the Edge of Nowhere
The Killer Service: Friendship and Rage Unite in Thriller Origin Story
Gio Randazzo’s The Killer Service sets up the origin story of its protagonist, Elliott for an upcoming series. A proof-of-concept thriller written by Randazzo and Miranda Rausch, it portrays a young woman with inherited debt and few legal ways to pay it off. Finding herself backed into a corner a little too tight, Elliott decides… Continue reading The Killer Service: Friendship and Rage Unite in Thriller Origin Story
Infinity: Fear and Pastiche in the City
The 19-minute supernatural thriller Infinity draws a picture of London where the robotic coexists with the occult, and what’s more, are likely interlinked. Written by Martin Kusimo and directed by Greg Francis, the mishmash and pastiche is a running motif in Infinity, from the graffiti in the opening shot to the diverse characters to the… Continue reading Infinity: Fear and Pastiche in the City