The Home Invasion Shorts block for the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is a mixed bag this year with some gems and some missteps. In either case, there’s some genuine talent and interesting ideas on display for festival goers.
All Your Women Things (2023)
Director Madison Bloom’s short is a dark horror tale, but one that’s reliant on feminine metaphors around idealized beauty and fashion that sets the stage for what I assume is cannibalism. “All Your Women Things” suffers a lot from the cryptic direction and editing, leaving a lot of the attempted metaphor and symbolism to feel hazy at best. I was never sure if director Bloom was setting out her message for the audience in plain view, or if she wanted us to leave her film with our own interpretations. In either case, there’s light shades of “The Neon Demon” here with some grotesque results, I just wish the film had a more definitive commentary in the end.
Beneath Cracked Pavement (2023)
Director Marcus Fahey’s film is more dark comedy centered on a trio of teens selling candy who happen upon a wealthy couple in the midst of concealing a murder. They’re then held hostage and forced in to their basement as the couple do everything they can to justify their heinous acts, and inevitable executions of the trio of friends. “Beneath Cracked Pavement” feels like a commentary on gentrification, especially considering the final scene. It’s an okay short film with some decent humor, but the whole film feels like a misfire and clumsily handled.
Florence in Customer Care (2023)
Directors Jordan Sommerlad, Corey Stonebrook’s short isn’t so much conventional horror as it is workplace horror centered around Tiffany Trainer’s character. She plays Florence, a passive customer service rep for a furniture company and the stress has manifested in to sores on her body and self mutilation. Her dreams of escaping to her own private area on a beach become much more recurring and her maddening job eventually begins to take a darker toll. This is an okay short all things considered even if it isn’t what I’d think of as scary. Star Trainer is at least very good in the lead performance.
hArmless (2023)
Director Elizabeth Cappuccino’s short is a great and clever bit of workplace dark comedy that I just loved. Cappuccino has ace comic timing and great leading lady potential as a young convenience store clerk who is preparing to close up shop for the night. When a man is in the store’s bathroom lingering and taking a very long time, she prepares for the worst. “Harmless” is such a good short with excellent build up, some great suspense, and a pay off that left me smacking my forehead in disbelief. Star Cappuccino understands her own premise well, thankfully, and I easily could have watched this whole scenario stretched in to an entire ninety minute feature.
Mercury (2023)
Director Clara Dubau’s short is more science fiction drama than horror, even if the scenario itself is terrifying. Most of us wax nostalgic by virtue of distance and can often forget the pain that came with childhood at times. In this short, Ellio is a man who has volunteered to use a machine that allows him to relive his childhood memories. When he dives in to his memories, he realizes maybe the past should stay in the past, sometimes. “Mercury” is weird and bizarre, but it’s pretty sad nevertheless. It’s an interesting view on how we can tend to romanticize our memories, sometimes for our own protection.
Rejoice in the Lamb (2023)
I have to admit that I really did like Will Carington, Courtney Bush, and Jake Goicoechea’s short even if it’s not entirely a horror film per se. It’s all more of a situational drama comedy revolving around a young girl who thinks that the new friend in her circle of friends might be a vampire. Told through flashbacks, character V.H. confronts an Oracle who offers her an ear when she recollects the entrance of a new girl in her life and how every bit of instinct she has signals that she might just be a vampire waiting for her chance to strike. Although a little messy, “Rejoice in the Lamb” is an engaging twist on the vampire tale with shades of “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” embedded within the comedy and romantic overtones. I wouldn’t have minded a more definitive resolution, but it’s a very good take on the modern vampire.
Ties (2023)
Director Esteban Bailey’s dark comedy is a not too subtle allegory about marriage and commitment toward family that comes with marriage. John is meeting his girlfriend Lisa’s mother for the first time, and after it goes well, Lisa and her mother decide to introduce John to her father. He happens to be a feral disheveled man tied to a tree tasked with grilling John about his intentions. Truths and confessions are spat out prompting John to assess if he really wants to marry Lisa after all. The whole short film is one big take on marriage even ending on an ambiguous final scene punctuated by the absolutely straight forward actions Lisa and her mom take with John. It’s all completely on the nose symbolism, but it’s at least thankfully saved by the great performances.
The 2023 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival runs from October 12th through October 19th at the Nitehawk Cinema Screens #1 and #2.