{"id":15819,"date":"2015-07-01T16:35:37","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T20:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=15819"},"modified":"2015-07-01T16:36:42","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T20:36:42","slug":"the-first-step-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/01\/the-first-step-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Step (2014)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The-First-Step\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Co-written and directed by Daniel Brown and Kate McMeans, \u201cThe First Step\u201d displays what happens when you take simplicity and pair it with old fashioned scares. What you end up with is a damn good short horror film. I\u2019d even venture to call \u201cThe First Step\u201d terrifying but that\u2019s mainly because I hate basements, attics, and old houses. But that\u2019s my hang up.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe First Step\u201d preys upon the fears of living in a new house, as young Sara finds that her house has a life of its own. What seems like a normal night in her house transforms in to a horrific fight for survival as Sara is convinced the house has something deep within its belly. I loved \u201cThe First Step\u201d mainly because it\u2019s so damn eerie and relies on a lot of the old factory horror devices to raise your goose bumps. The sound work is fantastic, the editing is brilliant, and the direction by Brown and McMeans is a marvel. I loved a lot of the shots presented, from the unlocking doors, to the spiral staircase.<\/p>\n

I wanted more but in the end I understood \u201cThe First Step\u201d as a one and done horror short. I\u2019d love to see this stretched in to a great feature length film someday soon, but in its current form it\u2019s great the way it is. I absolutely adored the make up effects on the film\u2019s monster, and found it tough to look at directly in certain shots. The performances really help sell the scares, especially by Jo Anna Van Thuyne who plays the monster with pitch perfect precision. Seriously, her turn as the film\u2019s monster is ridiculously creepy. \u201cThe First Step\u201d is a good old fashioned horror film, and what it lacks in narrative detail, it more than makes up for with genuine chills.<\/p>\n