Holy fuck campers it’s my birthday week! cheer the fuck up and lets go Karaoke!! Or watch some short movies.. no pressure.
Don’t Feed The Cat
Director: J Zachary Thurman
A young woman has the important mission of helping out her elderly grandfather, who is currently suffering from the effects of Altzheimers. On entering his dilapidated home she brings to pack for him, while on the phone to her mother she starts her chores, watering plants packing his clothes and after finding a note in the oven, “don’t feed the cat” she does wonder where the old guys marbles might be as her mother confirms he doesn’t have a cat, until a gentle meowing comes from the basement…. Surely she has to feed the creature… whatever it might be…
The setting is one of the main characters in this tense horror movie, and it’s so massively short but wholesome, holding onto all the best features of any modern horror, it’s pretty slick and I love it.
Lustless
Director: Yousuf Majid
What could possibly go wrong when you order a beautiful escort for the night? Well a young man discovers that he’s ordered more than he can afford when his date turns up with something shiny in her bag…
The opening scene of the movie really sets the viewer up, so I don’t want to spoil it for you but it’s a brilliant cloak and dagger effet from Majid who luls his audience into a false sense of nerves when he opens with an anti red herring. The rest of the movie becomes a twisted nightmare with characters changing from victim to persecutor as the plot unfolds.
It’s strangely satisfying in the way a silent thriller can be. You’ll never quite be able to settle but this does open the movie up for the criticism of what’s really going on when the goal posts keep changing? But on the other hand there’s no way to guess what’s happening next and that in itself is a rare thing.. keep it coming.
Cropped Circles
Director: Mike Stanley
This charming ghost story has a lot of potential and creativity. I know the term homemade can anger some people but I only use it in terms of the Movie Shorts where someone has had to use their mind and natural born talent over throwing cash into special effects, but it REALLY works here. The intro reminds me of a Movie Effects or a power point being played out, the music is all the standard free stuff, but none of these factors are the magic with Mike Stanley’s unsettling movie.
The set up is around a haunted house, a museum of items that are sought out by the dead to help them pass onto somewhere bigger and better, and what follows is a collage of movie effects that really submerged the viewer into a dreamy purgatory of one man trying to find his way … somewhere.. Doors in the woods, ghostly girls and dolls wander around glitching out of our reality, his focus switches from macro ants to the dark and mysterious world around him. it’s simply brilliant, hopefully Mike is still making experimental movies like this?
Box Fort
Director: Tyler Czajkowski
Based on the r/NoSleep / Creepypasta of the same name, a couple of sisters make a box fort, but during the night they begin to wonder if there’s something alive within their paper creation…
Once the family pet begins to act weird in the cardboard tunnels one of the sisters attempts to creep in and retrieve the dedicated pet but is soon chased either by her fear of the enclosed space or by something ethereal..
I can see why the story is so popular, it’s hella creepy and touches on the whole liminal fears we create for ourselves. Lovingly recreated by Tyler Czajkowski, this whole project is such a successful story that’s bound to get under your skin.. you’ll never leave your packing boxes open again.
The Little Things
Director: Sam Kassover
When a businessman has to take refuge in a random airbnb for the night after his plans are unexpectedly changed, the most he wants from his accommodation is a good night’s sleep, instead he’s faced with a night of upset, the owner is also home for the night, and the chatterbox won’t give the man any peace, along with the noise he’s unwell and there’s just something unsettling about the entire night that keep him on edge.
Lurking deep within the basement is something that should reside in an 80’s pulpy horror movie, and that’s the charm of this character driven horror, The Little Things sits neatly somewhere in between Basketcase and The Brood! It’s a brilliant film, it unfolds the plot steadily and uses just enough practical effects to keep it interesting and grounded. The actors are really cool and it’s just fun from beginning to end.
Hopefully you enjoyed this week’s list, if there are any short movies that you can recommend please let me know.
You can find a list of all my Short Movie Roundup’s here.
Admit One Film Addict 