Horror shorts

Nothing starts a Saturday morning off right like finding a few good horror shorts. Well, I could think of a few things, but this is a family-friendly place. Here at Story In blog, storytelling trades as a priceless commodity, and while these three shorts are very different from each other, they all share a common trait – great storytelling. So grab a drink, sit back and enjoy some fantastic films.

Something poignant: Crestfallen

Careful. Nudity ahead.

When Lo has her life come crashing down on top of her, she makes the impulsive decision to end her own life. Now with her health hanging in the balance, she questions her decision. With every drop of blood rippling in to a new memory, will the bad ones take her life, or will the good ones overpower them?

So much to love about this film that tells a complete story in six minutes. Strong imagery and an outstanding job of acting through facial expressions and body language by Deneen Melody make this a visually striking film. But, its the musical score that pushes Crestfallen from good to great. With perfect pacing, Harry Manfredini chooses just the right moments to pull our heartstrings back and forth from hope to dread. In Crestfallen, writer Russ Penning delivers a poignant story guaranteed to make you cringe.

I couldn’t find any information on Russ Penning. If anyone has a web page or Twitter handle for him, please let me know.

Something horrific: No Way Out

Directed by Kristoffer Aaron Morgan Written by Eric Vespe Starring AJ Bowen Isolated in a place where twisted creatures torment him from the dark, a man desperately tries to find an escape.

Revulsion and dread all wrapped in a squishy package of giant spiders, monsters and gore. For an added bonus, No Way Out throws in some awesome sound effects that ratchet up the unease even when closing your eyes to escape the horror. Watch as actor A.J. Bowen transitions from runner, to fighter, to madman all in the space of nine minutes.

**Special note. One thing that often ruins independent films for me is screaming. Few actors and actresses scream well, and even fewer when actual words are called for. You know, the “What’s going on!” type of thing. A.J. nails it in this film, building rather than destroying tension.

Something charming: I Love Sarah Jane

Jimbo is 13 and can think of only one girl – Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way-bullies, violence, chaos, or zombies-nothing will stop him from finding a way into her world.

Remember that moment when you first fell in love? What was it that jabbed your heart? Was it a look? An action? Lets just say Jimbo is living the ultimate zombie geek’s dream in I Love Sarah Jane

What lies beneath the surface? That’s the question truly good horror must ask. And when it answers, there better be a payoff worth waiting for. Forget the gore and drama. Forget the great acting by young Gavin Brown. What makes Found such a good movie is the constant reminder that inside us all lies the capacity for great evil and great courage. Good stories, horror or otherwise, never forget that lesson.

The first time I watched Found, I was a bit disappointed. What started as a coming of age story, turned into a gore fest that was quite unexpected. As I’m not a fan of over-the-top violence and gore — I prefer psychological horror to slashers or serial killers — a scene in the middle of the movie distracted me from the overall story. At that time, I watched while checking Facebook, Twitter and important email, and didn’t catch all of the themes and subtext in the movie.

Glad I forgot to write a review then and decided to watch it again since it had been weeks since I first saw it. This time I paid attention throughout, catching themes about what “respectable” people hide. Prejudice, violence, contempt and arrogance. Within the context of that theme and the overall transformation of Marty from bullied weakling to bad ass, the more disturbing parts of the movie fit much better. Don’t get me wrong, some scenes are a bit overdone for my tastes, but I’m not your typical horror fan. Trust me, gore fans will not be disappointed.

The thing is, the gore in this movie was unnecessary, because at the heart of Found lies a great story told through a child’s eyes. Nothing was more chilling than Marty in scary or merely uncomfortable situations. Whether we think Marty is in danger, or he’s having a conversation with a well-meaning, but naive pastor, we experience the appropriate emotions from a twelve-year-old’s point of view. I found myself rooting for Marty, and chastising those around him.

Besides Gavin’s acting, Ethan Philbeck was fantastic as Marty’s older brother. In particular, Ethan had a knack for showing anger and love, often at the same time, using facial expression and body language. Phyllis Munro and Louie Lawless were more than credible as parents of the two boys. Outside of them, performances were generally adequate or better.

Special notices should go to writer Todd Rigney for crafting outstanding dialog and a complete story. Too many low-budget, horror movies focus on special effects and camera tricks at the expense of storytelling. Not so with Found. This story would be just as powerful with or without significant special effects. I’d love to see the screenplay turned into a novel.

Let’s recap, shall we? Great story, fantastic acting, and excessive gore. Sounds like a movie festival fans will love!

So, what lies beneath, deep within Marty? Does he have the capacity for great evil? I’m not tellin’. Watch Found to find out. You’ll be glad you did.

Exit Humanit: The Promise

As someone who loves stories, I find it particularly painful when movies with the potential for greatness fizzle out as missed opportunities. The trailer for Exit Humanity showed a new perspective on the zombie genre, with powerful scenes and interesting characters. I hadn’t been this excited about a new movie in a long time.

Exit Humanity: The Delivery

Like so many prom nights and first dates, experience often doesn’t match expectations. Where the trailer was dark and dramatic, the film was slow and plodding, with little happening before the last third. Instead of good dialog, the writer chose to tell most of the story through narration. Not a good choice, even with Brian Cox telling the story.

The first half of the film focuses on main-character Edward Young’s search for his missing son. His wife had died – we know this because he told us in an offhand comment during the narration. Alone in the wilderness, with little ammunition or food, Edward and his trusty mount must face the zombie horde or abandon his son.

What a wonderful opportunity for building tension and dramatic impact. Unfortunately, we don’t get that. Instead, we get a bunch of meaningless encounters and no real sense of danger. Even the scene when Edward reunites with his son lacks emotional punch. The best drama Exit Humanity delivers is through actor Mark Gibson’s incoherent screaming, which would be effective if he hadn’t used so much of it early in the film. By the time anything important happen, Gibson’s wailing has already grown tired and ineffective.

Exit Humanity commits a host of sins, but none are worse than setting and costume choices. The film takes place in the Post-Civil-War south, where Edward first comes home from battle looking more like a computer programmer than a soldier. His clothes are clean – as are most everyone’s in the movie. His hair looks good, and he’s wearing a black leather jacket. He just looks out of place, and it’s not only Edward. Other characters either didn’t look the part or they weren’t dressed appropriately. Even with a great story, it would be difficult to get past these flaws.

In the end, it’s mind boggling that a film with a $300,000 budget and support from Brian Cox couldn’t do better. Didn’t anyone look at Edward Young on the first day of filming? Didn’t they see that the costumes looked more appropriate for a Halloween party than a feature film? Couldn’t anyone tell them in post-production that we just don’t care about Edward’s wife or son, because we never got to know them?

John Geddes started with a great concept, and understands the mechanics of storytelling. The right plot points are in the right places. He foreshadows, and makes good use of imagery. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future if he learns from Exit Humanity. Will he grow as a filmmaker? Only time will tell. For now, I’d say skip this movie. If you’re looking for something different with zombies, try Marvin Kren’s dramatic Rammbock or Tommy Wirkola’s witty Dead Snow.

As a missed opportunity, Exit Humanity is a movie to miss.

Found this great trailer for French Horror movie Dead Shadows at Horror Smorgasbord. Slowdeath77 always finds the best stuff. I hope this gets distributed in the US.

Dead Shadows is directed by David Cholewa. Here’s the Synopsis.

Dead Shadows tells the terrifying story of a young man, named Chris (Wolfrom), whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day that Halley’s comet could be seen from earth. Tonight, a new comet is appearing and everyone in his building are getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. There’s even an apocalypse theory going around. As the night falls, Chris discovers that people are starting to act strange – and it seems to somehow be connected to the comet. They are becoming disoriented and violent and it doesn’t take long before they begin to mutate into something far beyond this world. In a fight for survival, Chris tries to escape from his building with the help of a gun taunting tenant named John (Fallon) – but will they make it out alive?

** This trailer might not be safe for work or children.