An urban explorer who has been visiting a Japanese ghost town believes he’s seen it all, until he finds new places not on the map and soon realizes there is a reason for that.
Written and directed by Pablo Absento, this new short from the talented creator of J-Horror who most wouldn’t expect, Haiku Horror is a short story made of shorter segments. These explore fear and reflections of the human condition many are not often ready to go into. Of course, telling more than this would be helpful, but telling more than this would spoil the stories and the fear. The writing and direction here (as well as the order of the segments) show a deep understanding of storytelling, fear, and what works on the screen to make a truly unnerving short film (or feature). The stories here are really short yet remain effective and that builds up to the end of the last one which is *chef’s kiss* beautiful and creepy.
The cast here is super-duper limited with just one person getting a credit and really just one being on screen really acting and giving one solid performance. Keanu Ono takes the spotlight and runs with it, making the part his and making the film a showcase for his performance while keeping the story in mind and making it about more than himself. His performance is very physical, something not surprising as there is very little being actually said (the IMDb shows “none” as language which makes sense here). His work is solid; his movement tells more than any dialog or monolog could, showing life and so much more.
One of the film’s strongest aspects here is the visual one. The set dressing, costumes by Rafaela Fabbo Yamamoto, lighting, and the cinematography by Benjamin Parrot around it all are just right together. The lighting and camera work together create stunning images, especially in the last third of the film. This is a stunning short film and one where the visuals are such a big part of it. The special effects here are minimal with some interesting CGI effects and practical effects by Pedro Paladini. This is not a gore heavy film or even a bloody film really. There is a bit of special effects, but the images in general speak for themselves without it and the film as a whole works without showing a lot of, well, anything. The mystery here is a big part of what creates fear.
Overall, this short film is effective with a truly solid last third, showing that often less is more and that when the technical sides are on point with a mysterious story, attention is kept and the viewer ends up wanting more. The film is more than its story, but the story is where it all rests in the end. This is a short that makes the viewer want more and makes one want to see where the story is going next. At the same time, the short film feels complete while not fully explaining everything. It assumes the viewer is intelligent enough to work with this story and enjoy the untold part of it.