Newlyweds John and Samantha’s (Marc Slanger and Jordan Lewis) marriage is already crumbling after an abortion. John’s boss offers to relocate him to a small town in Maryland in hopes to heal and to oversee the development of a casino. But the small town they move to aren’t happy that he’s there and set something sinister in motion. Don’t Let the Devil In was written and directed by Courtney Fathom Sell.
Tag Archives: Horror
Death Metal (2016) [Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2017]
Panhandling plus satanic riffs equates to all out of carnage and bloodshed in writer/director Chris McInroy’s return after Bad Guy #2 with horror short Death Metal. Lars spends his day in the park, strumming his guitar with a tip jar at his side. Instead of money, it’s insults that are thrown his way. After lamenting to his father, and being completely negligent, Lars returns with an evil axe that makes him sound like he actually can play the instrument well.
Filippa (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
A father comes home to his daughter playfully wanting to play hide and seek. As he searches for her, something is clearly not as it should be.
Written and directed by Alexander Rönnberg, Filippa plays on parental fears and a father’s wants, hopes, dreams, and nightmares. The short film does so by showing just a small activity between a father and daughter and adding a fear element that just about any parent can relate too. Here that fear of losing a child gets more complex as the film advances and does so in subtle, nuanced ways that give the film a power over the viewer that is strong, impressive, and soft all at the same time. It’s one of those shorts that does not put things up in the viewer’s face and lets the viewer find their own fear and dread in the story. The film builds a nice family vibe and then adds this fear slowly and sneakily at first and then it all adds up to a sense of dread that permeates the atmosphere.
The Northleach Horror (2016) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
Somewhere in the UK, a scientist and his assistant run odd experiments that have bizarre, weird, and scary results.
Directed by David Cairns who co-wrote with Alex Livingstone, The Northleach Horror is a comedic take on the wartime insane scientist scenario. They take something that has been done before and breathe fresh air into it with a sense of humor that can only be from the UK. This sense of humor makes the film as it’s dark, it’s inappropriate, yet it’s so funny. The way the humor works is perfectly paired with the film’s darkness while it also balances it out. The entire film is soaked in this humor and riddled with inappropriate jokes that work perfectly. Of course, this is for someone who has a similar sense of humor and some might not find it to their taste, but horror fans should be quite pleased.
Sandman (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
A woman wakes up in the middle of the night and as she tries to push away a nightmare, she finds something much worse lurking in the dark.
This short by Liam Banks is one truly creepy one that uses a story from most people’s childhood and cranks it to eleven. The way the creepy thing is introduced is great and how it comes closer and closer to the lead is chilling. This short takes something most people were raised into being scared of and uses it against the lead which creates an effect on the viewer. This short uses simple methods to bring the creepiness forth and make it powerful.
Nightlight (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
A young boy keeps having to turn on his nightlight to read as something is turning it off every. single. time.
Director Kyle Daly takes this simple premise and makes it both a little scary and funny at the same time. This short works well by repetition and by showing the viewer just enough until it’s time to show much more and make the film truly memorable. His sense of timing and how the story is developed are what make the film truly work. It’s short short and it’s absolutely worth seeing if possible as it doesn’t take itself seriously, yet works like a charm.
Level (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
A man stuck in a warehouse looks for a way out in what looks to be a never-ending game of cat and mouse.
Written and directed by Andrew Hunt, the film takes the simple premise of a man stuck in a warehouse and turns it on its head a bit having him question life and the reasons why he is stuck there. The film explores this while not really giving any answers. The ending to this makes the film and as thus will not be spoiled. The writing and directing do are what make this short film work so well along with the acting.