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.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
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.
The Honeymoon (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
A very religious couple books a room in a quaint B&B for their honeymoon and to finally consummate their marriage. Once arrived there, things are a bit more extreme than they expected.
Written and directed by Ruth Pickett, The Honeymoon is anything but subtle and that works for it. The sex den these newly wed land into is just perfect and hilarious given their expectations. The way she uses these newlyweds in comparison with the lady who keeps the B&B works on the humor side and also as a bit of a message on society’s divide in terms of sexuality and many other subjects. Here she uses this mostly for laughs but it works on many other levels. The film’s subject is a bit ridiculous, but the humor makes it quite something. The humor here is rather in your face and uses sex a lot for laughs, but as people living a society where sex is taboo still, this works to bring the funny and make the film quite entertaining.
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.
Un ciel bleu presque parfait (A Nearly Perfect Blue Sky) (2016) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
Following an accident, a brother takes care of his paraplegic sister while preparing for the arrival of other beings.
This film by artist Quarxx is one of those that must be seen. The story is well-developed and done in just about the perfect way. The way the story approaches multiple issues including gun violence, disability, the burden of taking care of a loved one, and others is tactful and done with care. The script approaches these issues in respectful ways while also given them the room to be properly shown and have their effects be clear. The writing and directing brings these to the forefront while still letting the film be about the people and how these things affect them.