Tickle (2014)

tickle

Corey Norman’s “Tickle” watches a lot like an episode of “Tales from the Darkside.” It seeps with eighties aesthetic, unfolds like a classic campfire tale, and has a great novelty about it that will go over well with horror fans. It’s also a hell of a good Halloween yarn that I expect will really click with fans of the holiday.

On Halloween night, babysitter Trudy is tucking young Charlie to sleep, and decides to tell him a scary story when he demands one before sleeping. She tells him about the troll Tick Tack, a vicious little monster who sneaks around looking for people sleeping with their feet out from the covers. He enjoys tickling them in their sleep, but if they don’t respond, he delights in chopping their feet off. What begins as a spooky story to indulge a child transforms in to a night of horror, as Charlie realizes there is some truth to Tick Tack. Hiding under his sheets, he can do nothing more than witness Tick Tack wreak havoc all around him.

“Tickle” is a great short film with a genuinely spooky atmosphere to it that I just downright enjoyed. The make up effects are excellent, with Tick Tack posing as a genuinely terrifying horror villain. There’s also some good work with fake limbs and splatter that are quite remarkable to watch. “Tickle” is a simplistic, but very creative horror tale that works in delivering an ironic climax, and a slick climax that lacks a resolution. It does so for good reason. How do you close a movie involving a murderous troll that cuts off people’s feet? “Tickle” is worth a watch for folks that like quick horror stories with a tongue firmly planted in cheek. I hope we get more from Corey Norman in the future.