During a mother-daughter evening mom dusts off an old game that used to her mother’s that she loved playing as a child. As she and her daughter play the game, something abnormal is going on…
Co-written and co-directed by Todd Spence and Zak White, this short takes the dating board game of the past and twists it around to make it creepy (ier) and make a fun short film. The film starts off as a simple mother-daughter bonding time and something quickly feels off. The way the film builds this and prepares the viewer for something coming up but does not really indicate what that will be. When the twist comes, something is expected but it’s still surprising and effective jump scare. This creates more fun for the film and a very punchy ending.
The acting from the mother and daughter is good with the kid really selling the mounting dread. This young lady is played by Dani Tiernan who gives a serious performance for her lady her age and shows proper dread and fear while dealing with the situation. Playing her mother is Rebecca Flinn who shows care and worry but also tries to show a strong face to make her child feel at ease. That is until the twist when all bets are off.
The film’s cinematography by director of photography Dave Jacobsen makes great use of the film’s main location, the living room, showing it in a way that makes it feel lived in and real. The editing by Nicholas Gartner uses these images and makes them flow in a way that helps build the suspense and tension until that last scene and then bam, the editing makes this scene even better.
Your Date Is Here is a surprising and fun short that takes a bonding moment between mother and daughter and adds dread to it before throwing a twist that will surprise even the most die-hard of horror fans. The film uses its short time frame to its advantage and builds up the situation rather quickly, without losing a beat or wasting any time. The ending it what this one is all about and it’s effective, surprising, and just on point.