It’s very rare that short horror films leave me wanting more once the credits have rolled, but “The Cleansing Hour” pulls off a short but eerie tale about possession gone wrong. Damien LeVeck’s short film feels like an episode of “Tales from the Crypt” where the characters get exactly what is coming to them when they dare to dabble in the supernatural as a means of deception. Lance and Drew are two failed filmmakers that have managed to storm the web with their webcast that streams live exorcisms to the public.
Tag Archives: Short Film
A First Edition with a Lot of Potential [Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2016]
This year’s edition of Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival was their first and from the online reactions to it, it should be back next year bigger and better.
As this is one of the festivals Cinema Crazed could not attend, I managed to snag some coverage anyway (yeah!).
Without further ado, here are the links to the 5 features I was lucky enough to be able to see.
Movies, Camp Fire Stories, Dance, and… Grease? [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2016]
This year’s edition of Horrible Imaginings Film Festival saw the festival grow from 3 days to 5 days and include more features, documentaries, shorts, live literature readings (as well as a dance showcase). The fest does not feature a gallery anymore, but it has been about more than films since its inception. This year’s highlights were some truly great short films and the campfire story readings with David Agranoff, Laura Lee Bahr, John Skipp, and Cody Goodfellow amongst others.
The Call of Cthulhu (2005)
From The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society and Andrew Leman comes the excellent “The Call of Cthulhu,” a short film I was lucky enough to experience years ago and was lucky enough to re-visit. From 2005, the independent effort channels the horror and sheer terror of HP Lovecraft’s mythology so well, the time manages to fly by without a hitch. “The Call of Cthulhu” is a brilliant throwback to the silent film era channeling the likes of Val Lewton to bring audiences a love letter to a time in film when horror meant the twang of the score, and focusing on the horror of our actors.
A First Edition Festival in Brooklyn [Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2016]
Another film festival had its first edition this year and it had a great line up. This fest had it all: films, scary stories, trivia, et al. The fest had some great films, features and shorts. Some of my favorites among many were The Master Cleanse and Child Eater for features and for shorts there was Shorty, Pigskin, and The Man Who Caught a Mermaid.
They also had films we reviewed as part of other festivals like Let Her Out, Therapy, La Rage du Demon, The Puppet Man, The Stylist, Disco Inferno, and Mute.
Cinema Crazed’s coverage was limited but here are the few films I reviewed here for the Festival if you missed the updates:
6 Shorts Perfect for Halloween
So you’re getting ready for a Halloween party and don’t have time for a feature but would like to watch something to set the atmosphere for yourself or you just want to watch some bite-size entertainment. So, in that spirit, here are a few great shorts for the season.
Animated Shorts Block [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2016]
Dad’s Fragile Doll (Iran) (2014)
A young girl uses imagination to mentally work through her family situation. The film by Ali Zareghanatnowi has an interesting animation style that looks like moving sketches. The style is visually appealing but can become too much in scenes with more action, which is unfortunate. The film shows the horrors that humanity can do and how a young girl uses the power of imagination to help herself. This short shows that imagination liberates you, frees you of your cage, of your oppressor. The use of dolls and animation as surrogates for reality brings forth the message and the emotions.