Co-written and directed by Daniel Brown and Kate McMeans, “The First Step” displays what happens when you take simplicity and pair it with old fashioned scares. What you end up with is a damn good short horror film. I’d even venture to call “The First Step” terrifying but that’s mainly because I hate basements, attics, and old houses. But that’s my hang up.
“The First Step” preys upon the fears of living in a new house, as young Sara finds that her house has a life of its own. What seems like a normal night in her house transforms in to a horrific fight for survival as Sara is convinced the house has something deep within its belly. I loved “The First Step” mainly because it’s so damn eerie and relies on a lot of the old factory horror devices to raise your goose bumps. The sound work is fantastic, the editing is brilliant, and the direction by Brown and McMeans is a marvel. I loved a lot of the shots presented, from the unlocking doors, to the spiral staircase.
I wanted more but in the end I understood “The First Step” as a one and done horror short. I’d love to see this stretched in to a great feature length film someday soon, but in its current form it’s great the way it is. I absolutely adored the make up effects on the film’s monster, and found it tough to look at directly in certain shots. The performances really help sell the scares, especially by Jo Anna Van Thuyne who plays the monster with pitch perfect precision. Seriously, her turn as the film’s monster is ridiculously creepy. “The First Step” is a good old fashioned horror film, and what it lacks in narrative detail, it more than makes up for with genuine chills.