Horror Short: 15.05.08 (2013)

Directed by Nikki Chatwin
Written by Nikki Chatwin & Jason Chatwin
Staring Scarlett Sibson, Fern Chatwin, & Tim Wilson
Camera Operators Nikki Chatwin & Jason Chatwin

A police recovered video tape reveals the final moments of four young people who's curious spying on the neighbors house brings a chilling terror into their home. The short film is a compilation of modern horror concepts, most familiarly the home video camera and always unsettling plastic masked killer, that will best appeal to those who enjoy home invasion thrillers. The sixteen minute run is pallid with blood but replete with suspense, the latter holding the chill of the film. The likely killer that will turn off most is the idea isn't all that original with minor characters that you never really get to meet. With saying that though the execution is done well and while its an additive to the ever growing found footage film collections its a really good one at that.

With exceptions the found footage genre is best done when no money is provided to you, in that the scares feel more authentic. 15.05.08 has this asset best to its viewing as the natural chemistry of the cast (likely all friends and family) with the shaky cam makes it feel like a real youtube video, and I don't mean that offensively. Though its noted that despite an overall average sub-genre use of the camera there are a few unique and creative shots that I quite liked seeing. There's no exception here in questionable character motives but its a facet of horror that I just accept. The script may not be all that original but it's really the production and the direction here that make the film a pleasant viewing. 15.05.08 is a chilling little short film that will appease those who love the genre type and is an overall good late night watch.

You can watch 15.05.08 for free on youtube. If you have a short film your interested in having reviewed you may send it to me at bleedingdead22@yahoo.com.

Fractional (2011)

Mental patient David Crowe is about to reveal a dark secret of his former psychiatrist's John Hatchet's past. A secret that has stayed so hidden John will do anything not to reveal it. As Crowe subjects John to five days of mental and physical torture inside an abandon warehouse John's facade fractures and the truth begins to come out. The more honest John becomes the more tragic the events unfold. And as Crowe gets his way his mental incapacity becomes all the more apparent. With John running out of time he must find a way to survive to not only protect his past but also the ones he loves.

Initially I didn't understand Fractional or where it was intending to lead. My initial impression, as the film opens to a similar torture porn construct, was exactly that, another torture porn. The sub-genre often surprises though and as Fractional unraveled the body may be meant for the genre but the soul of the film is entirely psychological. Its about the unabridged horrors that the human mind is exhausted through, may that be loss or insanity, etc and in how that torture drives us. The story structure is a bit jagged, moving swiftly between hours and days, and comes off oddly paced. There's minimal gore as despite a quite lovely display of harmful instruments most of the torture is the extent which is done on to the mind. The general setting of the film takes place in one room, the dark warehouse that John is trapped in, but flashes to past moments to give us a pleasant change of scenery. Yet nothing escapes the grim tone of the rather dreary subject matter in the film.

John's character is a fair counter to the mind game of Crowe, his darker past and professional insight useful weapons as the victim. Desmond Daly is decent as the lead and responds well off Peter O'Toole. Crowe's character takes precedence as the far more interesting character though, as he's a variety of psycho that would get along well in a ward with the big league monsters. O'Toole has acquired depth to his role and with director Malcolm Deegan creates a disturbing but mastered villain. There's a particular moment in the film where Crowe has an honest confessional of what he's responsible for in John's past that is played out like a conductor instructing an orchestra, the acting with the choice of music makes the moment both lovely and chilling. Other choices such as leaving the camera on Crowe for an uncomfortable amount of time give him a sinister advantage or by using the echos off the wall give his voice an otherworldly feel.

The film's photography was to my liking, with the lighting and camera angles satisfying to the eye. There's a basis of mystery here beneath the horror plot as the angles are constantly at change. The mystery surrounding John's previous wife's death and his patient relationship with Crowe taunt the viewer with that simple question of who the real monster really is. Fractional was an interesting watch that didn't go where I expected, I thoroughly liked the psychological horror of the film and the dialogue between the two leads. Fractional is available to rent on the films website, and I'd recommend it as a good watch.

TDHorror Retro Review

"Karlof is effortless as Baron Von Leppe, although playing the enigmatic, strange man who keeps to himself in a lush Gothic castle is likely the equivalent to slipping on a tailor made glove for the actor. Not necessarily one of his late roles but no doubt towards the last years of his life he still manages to bring trepidation to the screen. This is an early Jack Nicholson film, where most of his effort is simply just showing up to work everyday. His acting is a putative choice of boredom or maybe just disregard for the entire project, but is also backed by a character and script that is neither lucrative or developed. The film's sets are leftovers from the much more successful The Raven, but are still useful in creating a dark, somewhat Gothic tone"

I haven't posted a Retro Review in two months so it was overdue. Unfortunately I wish it was with a more charismatic review for a film that was more of a film and less of filming Jack Nicholson pretending to be a soldier. If that makes any sense. The summary for the review is awful but in my defense there wasn't much to work with. Please read, comment, or ignore if you choose, whichever it is though you may read the rest here.

Also my The Purge Contest - Raise Your Hand for a Creepy Mask, is still going and you have until this Sunday to enter. So far there has only been one entry so you have fairly good chances of winning.

The Purge Contest - Raise Your Hand for a Creepy Mask

Universal's The Purge will open nationwide in theaters tomorrow and in order to prepare you for the twelve hours of terror I'm hosting a contest. I was supplied with a giveaway package from Universal, via PartnersHub, to give away to one of my readers.

The contest is fairly simple and requires two parts:

1) Click on the Survive the Night app below and take the quiz to find out if you'd make it on Purge night, then share the results with me in the comment section.

2) Also in the comment section name the scariest home invasion scene you believe to exist in cinema. Leave the film name, a small description of the scene, and a small explanation as to why it's scary.

What do you stand to win? A tee-shirt and a your own mask for Purge night.

Rules, Guidelines, Comments:

- By home I don't mean its limited to a physical house. Scenes involving campers, hotel rooms, etc are all welcome.

- By small I mean one to three sentences, I'm not looking for an essay.

- While I am hosting for I am not an affiliate of Universal so while naming a scene from the film The Purge is allowed it does not guarantee you a win.

-  Repeats are inevitable and you may list a film someone has already mentioned.

- Winner is decided by me based on how well you've backed your pick and if you've included all the requirements.

- Contest deadline: Sunday, June 16th. Winner will be announced the following day.

Good luck!

Horror Short: The Devils Walks Among You (2011)

Written and directed by Ryan M. Andrews
Staring Robert Nolan, Sandra DaCosta, and Katie Uhlmann
Director of Photography Fraser Brown

Alluring and mysterious Lilith Mastema tells of tales in her live spoken word show, showcasing a classic old jazz style to her stage. Tonight's tale is of a late night diner that receives an elliptic customer after closing, whom later reveals himself to be the Devil. The Devil Walks Among You is a short, 8 min run time, thriller that doesn't dwell on literal horror. Unlike you expect the Devil doesn't enter the dinner and upon doing so raises 'hell' but rather in an subtle yet haunting etiquette chills you to the bone with his simple message of walking among us. Often fit with short films is the grab or rather the shock and awe moment, but Andrews script and direction risks for a tame story that flows fealty into its disquieting end. Basically, don't expect an abundance of blood but anticipate a quiet thriller that's more about the essence of horror rather than the incarnation of it.

Robert Nolan again comes in as the sly but ever so charming Devil, another expo in the actors unbound talent. Sandra DaCosta is stunning, a fitting portrait for her cool lounge character as her voice narrates the story with a chilled ease. Ryan M. Andrews direction is crisp and there's little pitfalls in his overall well made short. I may like the style of the film the most though, with the interweave of the 1950's diner and early 1930's lounge den. As a lot of the shots, especially those showing DaCosta, are up close it limits the view of the sets making the photography key in conveying the tone. The detailed design of the diner is accurate in its depiction and the mood lighting in both sets captures the feel. The diner under gray florescent sets you off balance and the lounge is dimmed to tense and focus the mood. Although I rarely do I'd also like to note the costume department who I think dressed their cast appropriately, letting way to more of the characters personalities. The Devil Walks Among You was an enjoyable, well made horror short, that I'd recommend to most for its appreciated style and familiar concept.

Evil Dead (2013)

WARNING: Contains Spoilers

The Book of the Dead rises again when a brother and sister visit their family cabin, their friends and them becoming subjects to possession. Mia, a dissipating drug addict, invites her brother, his girlfriend and their two childhood friends to stay a weekend up at their old family cabin to help her come clean of drugs. Agitation heads early on when Mia's temperament is a rising slope, escalating with every irritation from withdrawal. Its Mia's heavy complaint of a fowl smell coming from the basement though when the friends uncover a collection of dead animals and none other than the Book of the Dead. Eventual curiosity on one of their parts leads to the book being read from and soon enough Mia becomes possessed, her weakened state and soul an attractant to the entity. Violent, vulgar, and lethal her new attitude lands her a spot in the cellar where she tempts and tries to over take each friend. According to the book it needs five souls to collect in order to let the skies rain red with blood and raise the Abomination. And as the book begins taking the friends one by one it's up to Mia's brother David to purify his sister's soul and stop the Abomination from ascending.

Evil Dead isn't a remake nor is it quite a sequel, as such should it be treated. On its own the film is a little dull with a refreshing change in location motive (no underage parties here, this weekend vacation is strictly for emotional purposes) but with run of the mill characters, maybe the exception of Mia. As a sequel most Evil Dead fans will likely hate it, however as I'm not really a die hard Evil Dead fan I'm not here to hold it accountable for it's off centered placement in the franchise. Oddly though as a remake I believe it works the best. The film
has mastered that ability to play homage to the prior films without direct ripping off, as is my general irk with remakes. Instead of copy and pasting iconic scenes from the first film they take the essence of the scene and alter it to be original but yet still apparent as to what they are referencing too. Original writing credits attribute to Diablo Cody and despite that she didn't get credited in the film I believe her original script served as sturdy backbone to the film; without it wouldn't be able to stand on its own. There's humor in the film, but its no horror comedy, and despite it being an fair homage to the first don't think Raimi's roguery or homemade scares are in here, its a far different film.

Initially I was excited to see Shiloh Fernandez as a lead character as I loved him in Deadgirl, but he actually disappointed me a little. There was no bad acting but overall uninspired, as was Fernandez's David. He didn't embrace that last man standing like in the first film, but rather took the very typical approach of being a skeptic and then went about stumbling through the rest. Jane Levy is at the top of the pack with her performance of Mia but its also a given with her character being the only one with an arch. Again, as I said none of these young actors are bad, by any means, but their characters lacked depth and they didn't bring any further dimension on their own. Therefore leaving Mia with the most back story and more meat to her character. Levy was steady as the withdrawing drug addict but delightfully wicked as demon Mia, another testament to Raimi's original piece. Before the films release the filmmakers made an adamant statement that there will be no CGI in the film, and it pays off as it looks absolutely stunning. Between the special effects, relying on old school makeup, and the dense mood lighting the production of the film alone is worth seeing.

It's a fair statement to say that if it hadn't been for the second go at the ending I would not have cared for the film as much. The initial hour is entertaining, the blood and antics being the only glue to hold you to the film, but it's pallid and offers little else. It's SPOILER Mia's Resurrection or exorcism, what have you, and her final face off towards the Abomination that actually puts this into Evil Dead category. The final sequence is immensely gory, offers the only real suspense moment in the film, and has the style of Bruce Campbell. From that I really liked the ending and wished the rest of the film had been in more of that style than the approach they decided to take. However, I don't want to hate on the filmmakers, as I do believe they tired to make an original concept and a high production horror film. There's no illusions that this was partially made to make profit off a very successful horror series, but in that they didn't just throw away craft to produce a film. They actually tried and that's what counts. Don't take it for anything other than what it is as Evil Dead isn't a masterpiece but it's fabulously entertaining and I'd say see it. In theaters or at home.

Horror Short: Out of the Night (2013)

Written and directed by Skip Shea
Staring Gwendolyn Callahan
Director of Photography William Smyth

Lost in a sullen neighborhood a wealthy woman is lured out of her car by falling hundred dollar bills, despite the shadows she's seen skulking in the fog. Out of the Night is similar in Shea's previous short film, Microcinema, in that it uses its events as an analogy for a more deeper understandings of the human condition. As voyeurism and obsession was the topic of the former the latter helms topics of greed, desire, and how in light we view strangers. The woman in the film is lost, scared, and likely at the other end of the tracks, however her lust of money leads her out into the night to gain more wealth even with the figures hidden in the fog. Of course for those who don't look so deeply the surface level horror is done well with the fear of being lost at play as well as the sense of dislocation. We never find out where the wealthy woman has wander off too, whether it be an odd neighborhood or some city of the afterlife.

Shea has a way of taking our expectations as an audience as well as the expectations of the character to offer us a different alternative. His films have a knack for unveiling the illusions of reality and exposing the often brutal truth. Not all is so bleak as Shea's dark humor is subtly placed in the film, mostly near the end. Gwendolyn Callahan is great, her role consists of no dialogue but her often lurid expressions fill in that utter terror of being lost in a neighborhood that vastly differs from her own. The score was taunt, lucidly attendant to the chilling atmosphere that's been set. The photography is simply gorgeous, utilizing classic black and white. There's a really exceptional image of Callahan vanishing into the fog; it fluently lacing around her, dissolving her figure into the darkness. I really liked Out of the Night, however it was a film I had to watch a few times to fully grasps the concept. In that I do recommend with a little hesitation as this film will likely go over a few people's head. But if your like me and you love reading into horror with deeper meanings than I'd say don't miss it.

Out of the Night will premiere at the SENE Film, Arts & Music Festival on Sunday April 28th at the Cable Car Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. For more information you can visit - http://www.senefest.com/dramatic-short-films.html