Following on from my reviews of the feature films on Day 3 of the Mayhem Festival, Saturday is also the day when they have their short films showcase, which were as follows.
Owing to the awkwardness of trying summarise over a dozen short films, I have decided to reproduce the synopsis from the Mayhem website and add my own critique to it.
A NEW DAY – Dir. Nate Southard, US, 3m44
Synopsis
"At Horizon Research Systems, we pride ourselves on helping you achieve the life of your dreams - the life you deserve. Also, we may owe you a few apologies..."
Critique
An amusing short film, done in the style of a company infomercial, which pokes fun at corporate America and how their claims to be acting in the public's interest aren't always true.
EVERYBODY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL – Dir. Tiffany Kimmel, US, 9m02
Based on a true story, Everybody Goes to the Hospital is a stop-motion animated exploration of physical, psychological, and familial trauma, telling the tale of 4-year-old Little Mata (writer/director Tiffany Kimmel's mother) as she's taken to the hospital in late 1963 with appendicitis.
Critique
Very reminiscent of the animated kids shows of the 70s, this stop-motion feature is actually a very disturbing story about a young child who is taken in to hospital and how her parents seemed more concerned about how they're going to pay the medical bills. Good animation and attention to detail, but was really depressing seeing the attitude of the parents.
FACE NOT RECOGNISED – Dir. Also Sisters, Spain, 8m54
Alone in the wilderness, a woman must find a way to survive after discovering that her head has been encased in cement.
Critique
This rather reminded me of the 2006 survival horror “Broken”, which was also about a woman waking up in the middle of nowhere, having been abducted. Only in this film, her head has been covered in cement, so she can't see where she's going or unlock her phone. Not bad, competently filmed, though not all that original.
If only she had a phone with a fingerprint censor, instead of face ID, all this could have been avoided.
HORSE BROTHERS – Dir. Milos Mitrovic & Fabian Velasco, Canada, 8m
Two brothers living on a farm sell old broken iPads, iPhones, and laptops to make ends meet. After one of the horses on the ranch convinces the older brother that the younger one is pinching a portion of the profits, the brother is left with no choice but to kill him and run off with the horse.
Critique
An extremely off-beat comedy about loyalty, betrayal, jealousy and an obsession with a horse. Whilst myself and other ferstival goers were amused, it was certainly an extremely bizarre film.
THE LIGHT (La Luz) – Dir. Iago de Soto, Spain, 12m52
19th century. In a small coastal village, Olalla and her family prepare for the night of “The Truce”. There is only one rule: no lights should stay on tonight. Olalla, unlike her parents, does not believe in superstitions. And she doesn’t think They are coming either…
Critique
A very atmospheric period horror, sharing similar themes with “A Quiet Place”, in which a family find themselves terrorised by strange creatures, after one of their daughters deliberately ignores a local superstition. Would love to see this turned into a feature film
Visit the Director's social media pages...
RINGWORMS – Dir. Will Lee, US, 13m45
After discovering her boyfriend’s plan to propose on their weekend vacation, a young girl undergoes a crisis of commitment which attracts the attention of a sinister cult.
Critique
This was your typical “young couple holidaying in rural America, falling prey to a religious cult” type of film, which you just know isn't going to end well. Starts like your typical horror film, but has a darkly comic twist at the end, which the audience loved. Not one to watch if you hate creepy-crawlies, or have trypophobia...
SHARK - Dir. Nash Edgerton, Australia, 14m07
Follows the continuing adventures of Jack, who loves to prank. But in his latest relationship, he may have finally met his match.
Critique
A darkly comical film about a practical joker (played by the Director) getting into literal “deep water” when his latest prank, involving a dummy shark fin, goes perilously wrong whilst on a scuba diving holiday with his new wife. Very funny and tongue in cheek, which shows the perils of “crying wolf” (or indeed “shark”).
Apparently there have been 2 other films featuring this character, Bear and Spider, which I shall have to try and track down.
SHINY NEW WORLD – Dir. Jan van Gorkum, Netherlands, 8m43
Synopsis
Fifty-year-old Barry is a special kind of cleaner: he cleans crime scenes where demons have wreaked havoc. While making a corporate film about his work, a normal working day for Barry gets out of hand in a bloody way.
Critique
One of the more fun short films, done in the style of a training video, in which the workers of a cleaning firm find the teenagers renting the cabin they're cleaning had been in an “Evil Dead” scenario, showing how they deal with the aftermath. Was well received by the audience, which had some great jokes about horror cliches.
Visit the Director's website and social media pages...
SLEEP - Dir. Alexandra Pechmann, US, 3m45
"Wake up! I heard something. I think someone's here." A woman struggles with her lifelong fear of home invasion, in this three-and-a-half minute horror film told in a single shot.
Critique
A take on the old urban legend and well used horror movie trope, about someone hearing a noise in the night and deciding to ignore it, only to wake the following morning to find something horrendous has happened. Never-the-less, this was a well made and satisfyingly gory short.
SMILE – Dir. Joanna Tsanis, Canada, 6m37
When a young woman struggles to smile, her depression becomes something truly monstrous.
Critique
Not to be confused with the 2022 feature film of the same name, though coincidentally, it does have a similar supernatural theme. There was a definite “Insidious”/”Conjuring” vibe to this, as the central character finds herself being attacked by a smiling Demon.
This actually felt like an intro to a much longer feature, which may have been the Director's intention.
STABILIZATION FAILED - Dir. Ray Wong, UK, 0m55
When you look deep into the digital abyss what stares back at you?
Critique
Essentially 55 seconds of trying to watch someone on a zoom call, with a poor internet connection, causing audio and video dropouts and that's pretty much it. Think it was supposed to be an arty film, but no idea what the point of it was.
Incidentally, the Director, Ray Wong, seems to be from Cornwall, UK and should not be confused with the Canadian Director of the same name.
THE TENANT – Dir. Lucas Paulino & Angel Torres, Spain, 9m46
Mia wakes up one morning with a strange pain in her leg. Little by little the limp gets worse, until someone warns her that the pain is not what it seems. Either she casts a spell that very night or her life will never be the same again.
Critique
Reminiscent of the Amicus horror story The Elemental from Tales from Beyond the Grave, this was an entertaining, not to mention exceptionally creepy little horror tale,
Visit the Film's websites...
WHILE MORTALS SLEEP Dir. Alex Fofonoff, US, 14m10
When a cold case novelist's career implodes, she seeks refuge in her friend's remote vacation home. Upon arrival, she encounters a strange couple who claim to be the caretakers. As tensions build, a dark secret begins to emerge.
Critique
One of those films where you just know something isn't right with the couple that the main protagonist has encountered, but you're not sure what. The film manages to build tension, although when you discover what they're up to, it will just leave you thinking “What????”.
Visit the Director's Websites...
And thus concluded the short film section.
