Reviews, and insights into the shorter movies that are often forgotten. These may only be a few minutes long but provide fascinating raw independent talent, from the directors of tomorrow. low budget and surreal imagination is the key to a lot of the films, thought provoking and haunting.
A moody and disturbing dive into poverty, starvation and the loss of a child during potato blight in Ireland. A young couple struggle to survive during a famine but once their young child dies the mother goes into a psychosis believing her child will return as a changeling.
It feels a bit lengthy for the amount of story it tells, but it stays faithful to an overbearing melancholy atmosphere and incorporates some brilliant effects in terms of the changeling itself. Very interesting work overall.
Chilling creature feature starring a group of young filmmakers and a creepy ass scarecrow. It’s similar to a few of the existing Scarecrow movies out there however it has a much more bitter and twisted ending which is always appreciated.
Mellott is quite dynamic with his approach to filming, taking every strange angle he can find as his characters attempt to film a documentary about a town that just vanished overnight. being the ever eager kids that they are, nothing is going to deter them from this hot and spooky story. A little bit of pranking goes a long way in these situations and to top it off there’s a bit of a relationship power struggle.
The monster in the flick is a high point as even after the reveal it remains quite mysterious, it’s stunning work with great results, hopefully there’s more work from this team to come.
Fun thriller centered around aged old wives tales of the Tarot and the dangers of using the occult for lies and greed. A group intends to use a live tarot reading to gain online notoriety, however when their plans are uncovered by a devout follower she confronts them and leaves a little gift, a card typically numbered 13 and depicting Death..
Anyone who knows a shred of anything to do with the Tarot will know that the death card doesn’t mean death, and pulling more than one in a reading would be a huge warning to leave your house and burn it.
But facts aside, this is still a lively movie, with a great tit for tat revenge story behind it all, it’s a touch clunky at times but the script and action keeps it moving.
This cleverly written, thought provoking drama that see’s an older generation having to take a stand against a younger and less understanding world. In Wilkinsons short, a government official is sent to a house where a woman resides with her elderly mother, as the the mother is getting on and there’s a housing/space shortage the mother is to be “canceled” for lack of a better word, legally and medically disposed of just because there’s not enough space for her.
It paints a picture of an overpopulated world and a cold approach to dealing with the warm bodies of our loved ones. Old people’s homes aren’t an option anymore but instead we’ll just eat the soylent green and murder those who we don’t think can offer anything to society any more..
Obviously there’s a slick twist, and more food for thought, in this sensitively produced short with lots of punch.
There are a lotta chills to send you lactose intolerant in Dorman‘s short spooky film. A man investigates a comic through a vintage Peep Scope and inadvertently invites an evil entity into his home in the guise of a killer milkman. With a powerful drive this killer entity is totally relentless. If you’re familiar with the haunted camera unleashing an entity then you’ll be forgiven for thinking this is like the others but it does in fact play off the trope and does deliver a new vibe so check it out.
Shot on a Black Magic Pocket Camera, this charming short movie breathes with atmosphere, I love the choir inspired occult soundtrack that places it firming between the Omen and err the Omen 2?
A man spots something floating in the river during his wintry walk, upon opening the vessel he finds a note giving him an address to go to with specific instructions to let himself in the back door for a prize..
It’s a cracker of a short movie with a constant dark looming and unnerving feeling about it, and somehow Khailo manages to keep it tense throughout.
A young couple are on a relaxing break when their lives begin to spiral out of control. With a marriage proposal looming, the nerves begin to show up in massive cracks in their character and relationship, but this is the least of their problems when a bug infestation controlled by a local cult soon becomes the main character of this atmospheric body horror thriller from Will Lee.
The short features a lot of different fear factors but the most prominent is gonna be Trypophobiaby far but will the pair be able to battle an ungodly evil and keep their proposal alive?
Childhood trauma is something that generally lives with people their whole lives, it can shape them and at times destroys them, but when a brother and sister are reunited at their family home, they being to realize the monster the bother would sketch wasn’t a suppressed memory of their fathers dark deeds but indeed a real monster that has been waiting for them all these years.
It’s quite surreal just how much action and terror Dustin has managed to pack into this tiny movie, the threat, once identified, is pretty real and like some folklore terminator this creature is totally relentless.
It’s not easy to get your footing with this delightfully spun story following the evening of a particular family as they ready themselves to receive a new dinner guest. The youngest member of the family is a troubled girl, one who has issues with her fathers death and her elder twin siblings. It’s her sister who’s bringing home a new boyfriend and the only way she believes she can save his life is to attack him with a knife..
Upstairs is a really tight thriller with remarkable acting and a totally engrossing story that I believe can be extended into a full length movie with ease. WIth it’s dark paranormal undertones and folk horror flavors this will delight.
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.
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