It’s been a bit since we’ve had the chance to check out some new and upcoming short films, but after our short break to recover from the HollyShorts Film Festival, we’re back and ready to check out these mostly horror themed shorts that will fit in right with the season! With Halloween right around the corner, these films are sure to provide plenty of frights for those who love to get a little scared. Prepare for scares with the following films! And be sure to check out the films themselves if you’re in Los Angeles on October 30th, as the in-person screening will be held at the TCL Chinese Theaters, with tickets available here. For those who can’t attend, as always, we’ll have the films available on BitPix from the 30th until November 3rd!
The Last Light – Drew Lewis Guerra’s short film is a horror of a different sort, as two friends deal with a sudden and inescapable global emergency. Jess (Fiona Rene) and Adam (Herman Gambhir) are trying to deal with their normal lives, getting by and handling what life throws at them when the unthinkable happens: a global catastrophe is looming and unable to be avoided, with escape or shelter basically impossible. Instead of panicking or completely breaking down, Jess and Fiona face their fear by being together, reflecting on life, memories and the meaning of things. It’s a harrowing and beautiful film that really reflects on the meaning of life, what the point of everything really is, and how important moments together can be. Guerra has brought an incredibly poignant film to life, with Rene and Gambhir bringing a ton of emotion and realness to a situation that while not imminent, is still possible.
Monophobia – Gregory Voigt’s short is one part visceral reality and one part supernatural horror, as it focuses on Thomas Neville (Ben Taylor), a mentally ill young man who is stricken with Monophobia, the fear of being alone. Set to attempt to overcome this, his therapist sets him up in a rental home to expose him to his fears, but Thomas soon realizes that his fear of isolation isn’t what he should truly be afraid of, as he might not be as alone as he thought. Also starring Federico Castellucio and Anna DeRusso, it’s a film that is a bit of a slow burn despite its run time, but truly pays off with some great tension and scares.
Skip Intro – Director/co-writer Hunter Hopewell teams with Perry Bruno in this funny and wildly perplexing short that sees Bruno star as Jack, who is joining his friend Aaron (Hopewell) at a watch party for a hit show that he’s never seen. Despite protestations from the other guests about his unfamiliarity, it’s soon apparent that this show is not what it seems as its long, confusing and frankly stupefying intro leads to something much more sinister. It’s an odd film, in the best way. The twist is truly unexpected, and the build to it will certainly leave the viewer on their toes. It’s fun, unique and an incredibly fun time.
Postpartum – A new mother is haunted by her greatest fear in this film by Diane Michelle, with star Vanessa Cuccia really bringing the terror. During the night, the new mother is haunted by vivid nightmares of doing harm to her child, hearing strange sounds and being generally terrified of herself and whatever is going through her mind. It takes some dark turns, with some visuals that are hard to watch but are so impactful, making this a challenging but satisfying watch, whether you’re a parent or not.
The Crossing Over Express – Luke Barnett stars in a film that is written and directed by him and Tanner Thomason and focuses on grief, loss and the impact of death as Hank (Barnett) meets a doctor who makes claims that they can raise the dead, driving Hank to take them up on the offer in order to talk to his mother one last time. It’s a touching piece that has moments of quick, awkward laughs, but the focus on the difficulty of letting go of a lost loved one permeates this whole piece, with Barnett bringing a ton of emotion in an excellent performance.
The Hole – Sean Foster’s short about a mysterious hole that appears in a neighbor’s yard. Starring Bryan Condon and Dorian Frankel, this is a bit of an off-kilter film that takes a dark turn, as an oddball pairing of neighbors come together to attempt to figure out what’s in the hole, and why it’s appeared. Frankel and Condon are wonderful in this, with mannerisms that feel like they were taken right out of small town living and put into a strange situation, with results that feel accurate to how people living in those types of communities would behave. It’s a very fun time, and a film that should be a hit for those who get a chance to watch it.
Binge! – Starring Clayton Farris and created by Sam David Zhang, this is the shortest film at this month’s screening, but also one of the more visceral. It’s a breakneck three minutes as we watch a man (Farris) as he discovers his newest favorite show to watch: himself. We see him watch himself perform more and more discomforting and painful acts, which have an interesting effect on the version of him we see watching the events unfold. It’s harrowing and delightful with a short runtime that takes advantage of every moment.
Detox – This fun horror short comes from Alex Hanno and Wes Hopper, who wrote the story together, with Hanno directing the film and Hopper taking on the screenplay. As a woman (Caitlin Morris) goes on a digital detox to escape the influence of social media and the internet, it turns out this was a pretty bad time to do so. As she’s got her phone in lockup, a cataclysmic event takes place, leaving her unaware and unprepared for what’s coming. Overlaid on all of that is a the foreboding voice of a podcast, ironically encouraging this digital detox as he outlines the steps to this centering practice. This is a great film, that shows the ability for horror to bend genres a bit and get kind of silly while still managing some scares. Morris is fantastic, taking the twist of the plot and really making it work from both a horror and comedy perspective.
Where The Bullets Go – Cody Duncum delivers an impressive film with Where The Bullets Go, taking a vague and almost philosophical question and expressing it through the eyes of a child, who can only process it one way. Tucker Cook plays Jed, a young boy who ask a question that is tough to answer in a satisfying way: when he misses after firing a weapon, where to those bullets go? That answer is something that plagues young Jed, taking him on a journey to find that answer himself after his father (Taylor Novak) can’t really give him one. It’s a slow burn, but one that has a ton of build and emotional impact. Cook is great as the focus of this, and the black and white presentation really helps keep this film grounded in a way. It’s really impressive how just that one directorial choice helps make this film feel vaguely dated, with it being kind of modern, but also feeling like it’s set in a past generation. This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking film that audiences are sure to enjoy, with great work from everyone involved.
Rain – Imogen McCluskey’s film about a mysterious orange light and the expectations of family is an incredible look into the way that unexpected and fictional types of phenomenon can work to help bring in realistic challenges to life. When an expecting mother attempts to tell her family about her pregnancy, an otherworldly light in the sky seems to affect everyone in her family, adding to the already difficult situation of the expectations of her family and of life, combining it with the looming apocalypse that this searing light seems to bring. This film brings to light a common thought about young people growing up in the world today, as the effects of climate change bring new obstacles to consider when it comes to family planning. It’s a brilliant way to engage with this topic, and the cast of Kimberly Alexander, Travis Hammer, Kyla Diane Kennedy, Kate Enggren and Timothy David-Reed are all fantastic in the film.
Zit – Amber Neukam writes and directs this short, which honestly might be the most unsettling out of all of the horror and horror adjacent films on display during this screening. Hannah Alline is Gertrude, an office employee who is anxious about angling for the promotion she wants. The day before she’s about to ask, a zit appears on her forehead, and as her anxiety grows, so does it, until it becomes a mass in the middle of her head that becomes more and more disgusting, huge and bloody. This film perfectly translates the theme of anxiety, with the dread growing more and more through the symbolic pimple until it’s so severe that it can’t do anything but simmer over. Alline is sympathetic, terrifying and a bit unhinged all at once, really nailing this exaggerated metaphor as she gets more and more self-conscious and her anxiety rises. A fantastic film that has a bit of body horror in it as well, this is certainly one to look out for.
Boy Band –This incredibly wild film by Benedict Chiu was a favorite of the screening, as it takes the pressured life of K-Pop boy bands and adds in layers of horror on top. K-Pop sensations QT7 are riding a high, beloved by people all over the globe and getting more popular by the day. But as the “American” member of the group, Jung, gets into an accident that will require facial reconstructive surgery, the film starts to show the darkest layers of this kind of environment, one that is so particular with its talent and their presentation. Obviously exaggerated, this film still shows some of the perils of life in these kinds of groups. While fame and fortune are abundant, there is so much that needs to be carefully considered by each member in order to keep their management and financial backers happy, as well as the image of the band. This film, and the exceptional acting by Jay Lee delivers that emotional beat and then some.
Paralian – Mike Markoff stars in this ethereal and fascinating film that seem him play the role of an unnamed man with only one thing one his mind: avenging the death of his daughter by taking vengeance out on the strange creature that took her life. With Markoff nearly the sole focus, this is a film filled with pathos, haunting music and some gorgeous scenery. Set in the woods, it’s a stunning view for a horrific circumstance, and as the film slowly reveals the perpetrator, this Evan Gorski film only gets more intense.
Terror By Night – Dean Butler writes, stars and directs in this supernatural thriller that sees him play Jack, a supernatural expert and investigator who teams with a detective when an otherworldly force takes a young boy captive. Jump scares, demonic possession and terrifying voices are plentiful and welcomed into this film, with some brilliant visuals displayed throughout. It’s a terrific glimpse into the genre of this type of horror, with Butler, Andressa Lemos and Gemma Cavoli all performing excellently.
Bajo La Tierra – Pablo Guillen’s film about grief and the promises to those you’ve lost is emotionally powerful, and scary in a bit of a different way. The fear of life passing you by, of unfulfilled hopes and dreams are at the heart of this film, as we watch Alma (Susana Elena Boyce) become obsessed with her work creating pottery after the death of her mother (Ivette Gonzalez). After making a promise as a child to deliver them from their humble, small home into something larger, using what can be harnessed from the dirt under them, Alma’s work becomes her way to grieve, leaving her life buried in that same soil. This is a wonderfully done film, with a twist that was genuinely stunning. It paid off well, and the cast was terrific, bringing the emotion and the familial bond that needed to be pulled off to make this film work. Which Gonzalez and Boyce accomplished in spades.
Possum – Daisy Rosato’s film that focuses on an artist collective, a rodent and the fallout of their clash is one of the more interesting films in this collection, with the truest horror elements being saved for the end, and the true terror being the social interactions of this group of artisans. With each of these enigmatic personalities trying to come together but also clashing, their personalities challenging one another when Pinecone, a member of their collective, kills a possum that has been eating their cauliflower. When it comes time to figure out what to do with the creature, things begin to take a turn. It’s a film that takes a bit of build, but once the premise gets established and we get to know the characters a bit more, it’s excellent. The main cast of Misha Brooks, Michelle Davis, Hannah Shealy, Gilbert D. Sanchez and co-writer Sophie Sagan-Gutherz are all excellent, truly embodying the bohemian artists that are so vaguely familiar to everyone. Each of them playing into tropes a bit in a way that doesn’t feel too overt, but really helps build their characters.
Goats – While not a long film, Goats does an excellent job of proving the old adage of not bullying someone who can do magic. Like Carrie before her, Maisie (Tanzyn Crawford) is invited to a sleepover by some of the more popular girls at school in Ireland (Annie Marie Elliot), Keagan (Valerie Loo) and Sloane (Haley Lage). After an attempt to do the witchcraft she claims herself capable of goes awry, Maisie is ridiculed by the other girls, leading to an intense, brutal and gory conclusion that is as fun as it is terrifying. It’s well done by the whole cast, and each of these young actresses does an excellent job, though I’ll give a specific commendation to Loo, for reasons that will be obvious by the end of the film. Michael Prieto and Julia Kern have crafted a fun and fulfilling horror short, and they should be proud of the final result.
Pocketman – More trailer for a film that doesn’t exist than a full-on horror short itself, this film feels like a pastiche of late 90’s/early 2000’s slasher horror, with a ridiculous villain and even more ridiculous acting. Starring an ensemble cast , which includes Nina Tarr, Brodie Reed, Courtney Paruso, Chad Damiani, Kayla Marcus, Megan Few, Ryan Keem and Alex Miller (who plays the titular man made of pockets), this is a film that understood the assignment, went out there and executed beautifully. It’s silly, over the top and feels right at home alongside films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer or 80’s horror like Leprechaun. It’s flawlessly teased as a “trailer”, and to be honest, I just want to see this is a feature at some point, because it looks just the right about of silly to be a great, campy film. Directed by Ericka Clevenger and written by Miller, it’s two minutes of massive horror fun.
That’ll do it for this month! Be sure to check out all of these films and more on the BitPix platform, and if you’re able to be there, check back for more information on future screenings! These films will be available to watch on BitPix from October 30th to November 3rd, so be sure to give them a look!
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