If a feature film is a novel, then a short film is a poem. I took a look at the following short films that were curated by the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival under the program, Nightmare Fuel. Hope I can sleep tonight….
THE THING THAT ATE THE BIRDS (U.K). Directed by Sophie Mair & Dan Gitsham
The film opens on a beautiful vista. A man walks the countryside. A bag slung over his shoulder. He points a flashlight ahead of him. The music swells. The man stops walking. A bird lies dead before the man’s feet. Something is wrong in the countryside.
Wonderful sound design and musical score. Fully realized characters. It feels as though we are getting a momentary glimpse into a larger conflict. The makeup effects are top notch. The Thing That Ate The Birds does a great job operating with the confines of a short film. A wonderful piece of horror cinema. No birds were harmed making the picture.
IGNORE IT (USA) Directed by Sam Evenson
A kid sits on a bed playing a GameBoy. The kid’s father comes into the room and tells Justin that an unwanted visitor is back. He must follow the rule. “Stay focused.” The father says.
Great use of light as well as fun, creative shots of the unwanted visitor. Ignore it does a superb job of creating suspense and a tone of dread.
Family dinners can be awkward and forced. Hopefully your next dinner is not as tense as this one…
CUTTER (USA) Directed by Dan Repp & Lindsay Young
Cutter wastes no time drawing you into its world. The opening shot is powerful and horrific.
I had no idea where this film was going, which is a considerable feat in the short film running time. A film with this kind of gravitas only works on the strength of the actors involved. Nadia Alexander who plays Raelyn and Leslie Fender (Raelyn’s Mother) anchor the film with strong performances.
Loneliness and heartbreak are very painful experiences. Sometimes the emotional pain manifests into self-inflicted physical pain. Sometimes other forces are at work. Cutter was an uncomfortable watch. I believe that is a compliment. The film does a great job with the horror people inflict upon themselves as well as the possible supernatural elements that can create havoc.
WEEE WOOO (USA) Directed by Charlie McWade
A night in. Playing some tunes. Sipping some red wine. Good times. A door creaks open.
I personally hate looking in a mirror and seeing something off. This happened to me just a couple of days ago.
Snow gently falls from the night sky. Good at changing tones. Great use of lighting. Sound design that really amps up the story telling. I really dug the changing of subjective and third person in the film.
Tara Pacheco does a great job in the lead role.
Very effective at being creepy. Perfect for some nightmare fuel.
THIS IS OUR HOME (USA) Directed by AK Espada
The short begins with “No animals were harmed in the production of this film”. It continues with, “However, real archival footage of an animal in distress has been used.”
Full disclosure, I had a mouse problem when I was living in indiana and resorted to glue boards. While brutal the traps were highly effective. I had a rule, I never went out into nature to mess with mice. However, if you come into my house, you have to get out as soon as possible. Thankfully I never stepped on a glue trap with my bare feet.
Dina (Mor Cohen) and Ruya (Ruba Thérèse Mansouri) are roomates. They also have every New Yorkers nightmare of a mice infestation. While they differ on methods they do agree that the mice have got to go.
The never-ending squeak of mice at night is so unnerving. War is war. This Is Our Home is ultimately a film about colonialism, roomates and veganism. I promise to never use a glue trap again.
OUZO AND BLACKCURRANT (U.K.) Directed by Nat Luurtsema
From the font of the title, to the infectious reunion of friends you get the immediate impression you are about to have some fun.
Friends wander through a field of wrecked cars reminiscing. To say more would be to say far too much.
I dug the look of the film. Ozuo and Blackcurrent does a lot in the condensed run time of a short. A nice slice of horror cinema.
BRACKISH (USA) Directed by Christa Boarini
Opens with beautiful widescreen cinematography. Hypnotic underwater photography. A body is submerged. An idyllic summer scene. People are enjoying being out on the lake and a woman sets up an easel to paint the landscape.
This film being in a program entitled nightmare fuel things cannot stay idyllic for too long.
You ever get that sense that you are being watched? Naw me neither.
As I have mentioned the photography quite a lot in a few sentences, kudos to Director of Photography Colin Treanbeath. Great score by Justin Hogan. The film reminded me of Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock.
LA OSCURIDAD The Darkness (USA/MEXICO) Directed by Jorge Sistos Moreno
Marina, a former elementary school teacher, emerges badly bruised on the shore of a lake. After a lengthy track through the hot Mexican sun, she lands at the primary school where she once worked.
A pickup sits by a lake as the sun rises. A man stands at the shore and spits into the lake. It starts. LOUD. The truck rumbles away but the evil deed the driver has performed remains out in the open in the form of a purse and a pair of heels.
The tone is a slow dread. Some exquisite shots in the film. Sometimes the darkness claims it’s vengeance.
The art house meets horror. La Oscuridad is a haunting and effective story.
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