Writer/director Ryan Valdez’s short film We Got a Dog packs a lot of eeriness into its brief running time. Morgan (Morgan Taylor) is flustered that her boyfriend Mason (Mason Conrad) […]
Tag: Super Scary Shorts Saturday
[Review] SWALLOW [Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival]: A Vain Actress Learns a Shocking Beauty Secret in Atmospheric Horror Short
Competition in the acting business can be a cutthroat affair, and the lengths to which some people will go to have an edge on their rivals is the subject of […]
[Review] Meat Friend [Portland Horror Film Festival]: A Young Girl Befriends Gruesome Ground Beef in Horror Comedy Short
Prolific director Izzy Lee knows her way around horror, and has found success in her works boasting absurdist humor, as well. Her latest short film Meat Friend combines both of […]
[Review] I Call Upon Thee [Portland Horror Film Festival]: Two Young Sisters Summon a Terrifying Entity
Absolutely chilling, unsettling, and macabre, writer/director Michael Kratochvil’s Australian short film I Call Upon Thee takes the concept of a children’s horror story and places it firmly in the world […]
[Review] Mary: A Young Man Haunted by Guilt Meets a Mysterious Elderly Woman in This Eerie Horror Short
A razor-sharp look at the gap between trying to make ends meet and providing quality personal care for aged relatives as well as a chilling supernatural story, Mary, from codirectors […]
[Review] It Came from the Kitchen! [Final Girls Berlin]: Lighthearted Creature Feature Boasts Some Old-School Effects
We’ve all had those days, sometimes even weeks, when straightening up our living spaces just doesn’t rate high on the old to-do list, until something happens that makes it absolutely […]
[Review] The Blood of the Dinosaurs: Joe Badon’s Latest Leap into Lunacy Hits the Surreal Jackpot Once Again
When reviewing a Joe Badon film, words such as “ersatz,” “systematically,” and “avuncular” will never work. Nor will attempting diatribes or didacticism. His films are like surreal gossamer coated with […]
[Review] You’re Dead Hélène [SLASH Film Festival]: Does This Romance Have a Ghost of a Chance?
Writer/director Michiel Blanchart’s Belgian/French short film You’re Dead Hélène (T’es morte Hélène; 2021) is a remarkable genre-blending effort that takes viewers on a ride through three different storytelling genres and […]
[Review] Tale of the Deaf [SLASH Film Festival]: Mesmerizing Russian Black-and-White Short Is a Gorgeous Gothic Horror
Writer/director Philipp Yuryev’s Russian short Tale of the Deaf is one of the most visually extraordinary films of this year. Shot in sumptuous black-and-white by director of photography Mikhail Kasaya, […]
[Review] TOY TERMINATOR: Man vs. Puppet in Irreverent Horror Short
Director Matt Wisniewski’s puppet horror short Toy Terminator is his follow-up to the 2019 short film Pappy’s World, and somehow it is even more irreverent and mind-boggling than its predecessor. […]
[Review] Laura Hasn’t Slept [FilmQuest]: The Face of Fear Awaits a Young Woman’s Slumber
Writer/director Parker Finn’s terrific short film Laura Hasn’t Slept combines the concept from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (along with other horror properties) of avoiding sleep so as […]
[Review] Hungry Joe [FilmQuest]: People and Systems Fail a Distraught Mother Whose Son Has a Voracious Appetite
I strongly recommend watching U.K. horror short Hungry Joe on an empty stomach. Codirectors/cowriters Samuel Dawe and Paul Holbrook pull no punches in their 23-minute meeting of body horror and […]
[Review] The Unvisited: Short Fantasy Film Takes a Lighthearted Approach to Issues with the Elderly and Their Families
Writer/director Rebekah Fieschi’s latest short film The Unvisited is a playful fantasy exploration of growing older and being separated from immediate family. Though the short has supernatural and horror overtones, […]
[Review] Seek [FilmQuest]: Outstanding Design and Effects Highlight This Excellent Creature Feature Short
Director Aaron Morgan wrings the maximum creepy atmosphere possible in five minutes in his short film Seek. This tale of a rest stop break gone terrifyingly wrong is also bolstered […]
[Review] GOLEM [Warped Dimension Online Film Festival]: Clay Avenger from Jewish Folklore Rises Again in Effective Horror Short
In only about 4 minutes not counting credits, writer/director Ryan Cauchi’s Australian short horror film Golem spins an action-packed tale about the titular anthropomorphic clay creature from Jewish folklore while […]