Sid Zanforlin’s short horror comedy is a fantastic bit of gruesome, grue, and slapstick comedy that will definitely strike a nerve with folks that like HG Lewis. I am shocked how much Zanforlin is able to squeeze in to in only seven minutes in length. And considering this is a proof of concept for a potential feature film, I think Zanforlin has enough material for a potentially bonkers splatter horror comedy down the road. Filled with amazing special effects by Justin Tripp, Zanforlin centers his film on two young men traveling to meet their family who stop alongside the road.
Tag Archives: Short Film
Five Websites to Find The Best Short Films
Pixar short “Piper.”
Never underestimate the power of the short film. Short films have become popular over the years that they’ve resulted in immense respect and success for their directors and respective shorts, paving a very seasoned career for most. Everything from Oscar nominee/genre favorite “District 9,” Guillermo Del Toro fueled horror film “Mama,” and (to a much lesser extent) “Pixels,” were adapted from successful short films, while genre directors like Fede Alvarez began his career directing acclaimed short films.
Geist (2016)
From Giant Animation Studios comes “Geist,” a magnificent and eerie animated film that explores the fall out from a tragic event and how one man comes to terms with it. Brought to life with amazing computer animation and marvelous visuals, “Geist” centers on a lone sailor who, after a ship wreck, finds himself lost in a vicious storm. When he finally finds a small cottage on a hill he seeks refuge for the night, hoping to regain his senses and warm up.
But all is not what it seems within the cottage, as someone or something else lurks in the dark crevices of the house, prompting the sailor to go looking for his watcher before it’s too late. Before long, he begins remembering his ill fated ship wreck and what brought him to the island initially. Directors Alex Sherwood, Ben Harper, and Sean Mullen create a vivid and very eerie short film that doesn’t rely on jump scares or shocks. It’s instead very reliant on the mood and blankets of darkness to keep the mystery of the unknown the most terrifying aspect of “Geist.”
The trio of directors relies on the unseen and unknown until the very end where our true view of what’s unfolded is a tragic glimpse at the concepts of fate, and destiny. I can’t say enough about the wonderful animation pulled off by Giant Animation Studios who build a very vivid world and dreamlike landscapes surrounding our character that may or may not be natural at all. Whoever says animation is only for kids and families really has never seen what indie filmmakers can do with bold ideas and complex themes about loss and death.
Day of the People (2016)
It feels like there’s a little bit more gong on in “Day of the People” than a simple experimental short film. Based on the research I’ve done, director Philip Stainsby seems to have aimed for a short film reminiscent of “Night of the Comet,” but the visual cues seem to hint at something else entirely. “Day of the People” opens with a young man waking up at the very end of humanity and then begins traversing through the city and making his way through something of a business district where the sky is painted a dark shade of Red.
With only the discovery of a soda can, he walks through the streets looking for something, and finds it when he comes across a man walking around in a dark suit. Ultimately I interpreted “Day of the People” as something of a subtle commentary on the downfalls of a perfect Utopia and how some people are so committed to building a new world, they’re not likely to notice when something beyond their control is set to end their plans. Based on the small hints Stainsby adds, the people built this world and they also contributed to destroying it, thus making it a pretty open target for something else. Who knows?
Maybe I’m merely over thinking an experimental film, but Philip Stainsby’s short packs in a lot of nuance and complexity in only ten minutes time. The photography and direction are superb, with Stainsby committing to the dream like atmosphere and paints a grim look at what is the perfectly functioning society where all life isn’t quite present or even emotionally attached, for that matter. I gather “Day of the People” will leave many an audience debating about its meaning when it hits the festival circuit. Philip Stainsby’s short science fiction film is a remarkable short with unique and bold use of color and landscape. I hope to see more from him in the future.
Most Anticipated Films at Fantasia International Film Festival 2016
Now that the full schedule is out, Fantasians have planned what they will see and bought their tickets. This year’s line-up is full of potentially great stuff and some real oddities. Personally, I look forward to being surprised. In the past, I was happily surprised by Shaun of the Dead, GS Wonderland, A Christmas Horror Story, Borning, etc.
All films I randomly went to see without much planning. So what am I looking forward to this year? Here’s a few I want to see without knowing a ton about them in advance.
Iron City Chronicles: Bitter Heart (2015)
NOW SEEKING FUNDING ON KICKSTARTER – It’s a real testament to Jason Turner’s talent that he’s able to pull off such a unique neo-noir with such a low budget. “Bitter Heart” is kind of a sequel to the original adventures of robotic private investigator Iron Joe. After being plagued with nightmares of a lost love, Joe is contacted by his ex-colleagues from Iron City’s police force when a young man is mysteriously assassinated. Linking evidence on the scene to a specific culprit, Iron Joe goes looking for the minds behind the murder and runs afoul a lot of interesting thugs willing to protect some secrets.
In particular, Iron Joe is on the track of a lead named Stoker, who is a CEO of Teknika, a corporation responsible for the robotic augmentations in the entire city. What link this assassination has with Stoker remains wholly ambiguous, but it’s intriguing to see how far Iron Joe is willing to go to take aim at corruption in the city. With some neat special effects both CGI and traditional, Turner unleashes this bold and unique wasteland where Iron Joe has somewhat bitten off more than he can chew with his assistant J.E.S.S. I hope we get to see how Iron Joe fares in the future, as “Bitter Heart” is a wicked prologue to an epic crime thriller.
Sentinel (2015)
NOW SEEKING FUNDING ON KICKSTARTER – Jason Turner’s “Sentinel” reminds me a lot of the Harry Canyon segment from “Heavy Metal” except so much more of a neo-noir cyberpunk love letter than the former. Presented as a motion comic, Jason Turner plays Ex-Cop Alex Calibourne, a man with enhanced body augmentations that lives in a crime ridden albeit futuristic city named Iron City. Calibourne lives and breathes by his robotic enhancements, and uses his artificial intelligence J.E.S.S., a sassy female AI, to guide him through his adventures in the underworld.