As a little girl reads in bed, she hears an ominous noise from outside her room. Going to investigate leads to a nasty surprise.
Written and directed by Stellan Kendrick, Goodnight, Gracie is a short film that clocks in under 5 minutes, giving itself just enough time to create a story and shock just a little bit, then leave a quick and effective impression. The film manages to attain its goals in that short period of time. The writing and direction show careful writing of the story and a good grasp of suspense and shock. The way this short is built gives its story maximum effect through the set-up discovery, and ending. It shows that sometimes less is indeed more and that not all stories need a two-hour runtime to be effective.
As with many shorts, the cast is small in Goodnight, Gracie. The titular character of Gracie is played by young actress Caige Coulter who does great work as the frightened, yet curious little girl. Her performance s a strong one done in almost silence and she manages to get everything needed across and add nuances to all of it. Her performances comes off as experienced beyond her years or simply natural. Playing villain Billy, Courtney Gaines gives an wordless performance. His menacing presence gives the film more than a touch of creepy while giving poor Gracie quite the scare. His work is based on his presence and how he carries himself as much as his facial expressions and breath. Just like Coulter, Gaines manages to put a lot across without, or almost without, uttering a single word.
Adding to the atmosphere and performances are the special effects with a central piece that is surprising and well done. The prosthetic and effects put on actress Zoe Simpson Dean are not seen for ling but they offer quite the visual and an interesting centerpiece for the visual part of the horror. Also helping create the atmosphere is the score by Peace Nistades. It adds just the right amount of tension to the scenes and creates an auditory atmosphere to fill the void left by the lack of dialogue. The music not only takes the palce of the dialogue, but creates something different to establish what is going on on screen and to help identify the lead’s emotions and fears.
The film’s feel and how it looks in general is heavily influenced by the images put forth by Julia Swain’s cinematography. This creates beautifully shot images that are carefully planned and framed to show just enough and establish Gracie’s night world where she get to be a little book worm and an intrepid searcher for truth in a way. The scenes of her reading under the blankets are particularly well done.
Goodnight, Gracie is a creepy short that works by establishing atmosphere quickly and getting to the point just as fast. Only a few words are spoken throughout the film yet the characters come across loud and clear, one as the scared and the other as the scarer. Their interactions work great and create a dynamic that pulls the viewer in. Goodnight, Gracie clocks in at under 5 minutes and makes the most of it with its atmosphere, performances, and effects.