SHARP SHOCK SHORT: THE THINNING VEIL

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of UK independent filmmakers Mycho. I've reviewed each of the micro-budget auteurs' offerings from 2017's Slasher House II, by way of Mask Of Thorn, via The Haunting Of Molly Bannister (AKA ) Bannister Dollhouse and Cleavers: Killer Clowns right up to the studio's most recent effort Pandamonium, and I have praised each and every one along the way.

Sadly, the real-world horrors of the last year put plans for the much anticipated third chapter in the Slasher House trilogy on hold, but that doesn't mean that Mycho supremos MJ and Anna Dixon have been sitting idle.

As contributors to their Patreon will know, they are still providing plenty of content, including some superb short horror films.

These shorts are a regular treat from Mycho, and one of these, The Thinning Veil, has drawn plenty of attention from critics, including selection for several prestigious film festivals.

For good reason too, as I will soon explain.

THE THINNING VEIL (2019)

Dir: MJ Dixon

Starring: Tatiana Ibba, Liza Keast

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here but read on at your own risk.

Late one Halloween night, a lone woman, Roberta (Ibba) calls at the house of a medium, Madam Brenda (Keast) in search of answers.

Seen packing a handgun in her handbag before leaving her car, Roberta is desperate to locate a missing item and clearly means business, and as Brenda lays a piece of lace across the floor, chants 'Who do you want me to be?' and consults tarot cards, we soon realise that she has come to the right place.

As the voices of trick-or-treaters are heard having fun under the cold October night sky, Brenda explains that Halloween is the time at which the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest and, if you wish to contact one of the dearly departed, this is the night to do so.

But the dead have some tricks of their own...

WHY IT WORKS: Halloween is a great time for horror fans and The Thinning Veil does a wonderful job of evoking the spirit of the season (excuse the pun) while delivering a sterling tale with a couple of deft twists and turns all in less than 10 minutes.

I've expressed my admiration of the way in which director MJ Dixon uses a rich and stylised colour palette when shooting his films, and this is no different, shot with deep blues and rich oranges. It's touches like these that elevate Mycho's output far beyond its humble resources. 

Dixon's film looks fantastic while never drawing the focus from his two splendid leading ladies.

Essentially a two-person cast, the film relies heavily on Ibba and Keast delivering, and, thankfully, both do so with ease.

Ibba will be familiar to fans of Mycho's fun comedy/slasher hybrid, Pandamonium. She's excellent here, showing a tough edge but still portraying the essential vulnerability to make the story work. It's an assured and confident performance of a complex role and one that has me eager to see what she and Dixon can achieve together should they collaborate again in the future

Ibba is undoubtedly very, very good, and co-star Keast is simply fantastic. Madam Brenda is a wonderful character (and one I'd love to see more of in the extended Mychoverse). Having worked with Dixon before on both Slasher House II and The Haunting Of Molly Bannister, the director clearly trusts her, and with good reason. 

Keast imbues the character with gentle down-to-earth warmth and a creepy otherworldliness in equal measure. It's a joy to watch her character's impressive arc in a mere nine minutes.

Both actresses provide really nuanced performances, which is essential to telling Dixon's story.

On the surface, The Thinning Veil may appear to be a simple and rather traditional ghost story (I shan't discuss the exact details of the story so as to avoid spoiling your viewing experience) however, it does such a wonderful job of hiding that fact until the moment the trap snaps shut that it feels like so much more.

Furthermore, the subtle touches throughout, especially with regards to Madam Brenda's summoning ritual make for some brilliant world-building, suggesting there are plenty more fascinating stories for the character to be told if Dixon ever wants to return to The Thinning Veil.

Of course, the purpose of horror is to scare, to shock and frighten, and I'm delighted to say that this short contains quite possibly the most chilling shot Dixon has ever produced. It raised hairs on the back of my neck and I can imagine it would be amazing to behold on a large screen, should you get the opportunity to do. Blood-curdling stuff!

In short, this indie gem is a brilliant and spine-chilling ode to Halloween and an absolute must-see.

SO WHERE'S IT AT? The film has been selected for several film festivals and is available to Mycho's Patreon patrons. Until then you can check out the trailer for the short right here or read more about it at Mycho's official website https://mycho.weebly.com/. 

10 WORD WRAP-UP: Atmospheric UK indie short provides some excellent twists and chills

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SHARP SHOCK SHORT: BASKIN

For a long time the horror genre was dominated by American filmmakers, with the odd low-budget Brit flick thrown in here and there. This is only to be expected, USA's Hollywood is the hub of the movie industry.

However, in recent years that has changed. First, back in the Nineties, Japanese horror flicks made their way to Western audiences, no doubt fuelled by Hideo Nakata's Ringu, which in turn opened the door for other Asian nations such as Thailand. This occurred around the same time that  a sudden influx of Australian and New Zealand horror, such as Peter Jackson's early work and later, Wolf Creek.

Soon our European neighbours were also getting in on the act, from France's Extreme horrors, such as Martyrs, to Scandinavian chillers such as Cold Prey, Thale and the spectacular Troll Hunter.

More recently still Western audiences have been tipped off to the wealth of quality horror titles being produced in Turkey, such as the terrifying Siccin.

One such title to make waves recently is Can Evrenol's short film Baskin. The reception this short received was so good that studios then approached him to expand it into a feature length title. Following a highly-successful limited cinema run, the movie will be released in the UK on DVD, Blu-ray and On-Demand in just a few weeks.

Expect a review of the movie very soon, but to prepare you for that release I'm going to talk you through one of the most spine-chilling and disturbing short films of recent years.

BASKIN (2013)

Dir: Can Evrenol and Ogulcan Eren Akay

Starring: Muharrem Bayrak, Gorkem Kasai, Aydin Orak, Remzi Pamukcu, Fadik Bülbül

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here but read on at your own risk.

Late one night a van full of Turkish policemen receive a call on their radio to deal with an incident at a nearby, run-down block of flats.

Heading to their destination it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary bust. Following a bloody welcome they work their way into the building where fellow officers, escorting decidedly ragged and disturbing looking suspects out, inform them that they've raided a coven of satanists in the middle of a dark ritual.
As the officers fan out through the building they bear witness to a number of nightmarish incidents such as blood-soaked, black magic rites and an encounter with the terrifying Mother (Fadik Bülbül) that begs the question: who is really hunting who?

WHY IT WORKS: Can Evrenol, and his co-director Ogulcan Eren Akay, are directors with real vision and it is the nightmarish imagery throughout that makes Baskin so spine chilling. The atmosphere they create with subtly uncomfortable camera angles and a sublime use of darkness is horrifying — it is entirely understandable how studio executives, upon watching this film, would have seen such tremendous potential in the filmmaker. 

At a mere 11 minutes Baskin isn't given a long time in which to work its creepy magic, so it's a testament to the directors that they are able to cultivate serious tension and suspense.

The pacing of Evrenol's story is superb, taking the time to slowly reveal its horrors before swiftly and mercilessly ratcheting up the intensity towards the climax, something aided even further by the twisted visuals. There is not a single wasted second in this lean, mean psychological horror flick.

The story itself is a simple, no-thrills affair — think The Raid meets Event Horizon and Rosemary's Baby by way of Hellraiser and REC — and this simplicity works very much in its favour.

Our leads — including the impressive Bayrak and Kasai, who star in the feature-length take on the story — are all solid, and act as the audience's eyes as we share in their experience within the hellish apartment block. There's no extraneous exposition, no long, drawn-out backstory to explain the events. The mysteries of what is happening within the building remain exactly that, even if hints are given throughout the hair-raising encounters of our outmatched cops. 

It shows remarkable restraint on the filmmakers' part and definitely works in the short's favour, encouraging viewers to fill in the gaps with their imagination. With shadowy, writhing bodies and twitching sacks, plus plenty of grisly goings-on in the darkness, it is up to us to interpret what we've seen... and in the most terrifying manner possible.

I've mentioned the imagery of the film but it really does bear repeating — Baskin (which means 'raid' or 'attack' in Turkish) lives up to its name, feeling like something of an assault on the eyes at times. The dark and delapidated set is haunting, the design even more so as chains, hooks, plastic sheets, bloodstains and surreal, frightening graffiti adorn the walls, all bathed in a Fulci-esque striking colour palette by talented cinematographer Alp Korfali. With deep greens that offer a strong contrast with the red of the grue and gore, it's frighteningly good. 
I raved about the truly scary Mother, as portrayed by Bülbül, earlier for good reason. Dripping with gore, matted hair draped around her blindfolded face, she is at once arresting and scary, bolstered by a fearless performance that sees this character become instantly iconic. Combine this with plenty of bloody body parts, a chilling cameo by Mehmet Cerrahoglu (Father in the feature) and genuinely unsettling more subtle frights, and you get one of the best horror shorts I've ever had the pleasure to review here at The House.  
An absolute must-see.

SO WHERE'S IT AT? Rumours persist that the Baskin short will feature as an extra on the Blu-Ray release. Until then you can check out the trailer for the short right here.

10 WORD WRAP-UP: Stylish Turkish short depicts a genuinely unnerving descent into Hell

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SHARP SHOCK SHORT: SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN

Long term readers here at Hickey's House of Horrors will know that I'm a big fan of both horror shorts and the writing of Stephen King.
So you know what I'd really love?
A top quality horror short based on one of King's underappreciated stories!
After I reviewed Bonfire Films' top-notch haunted house horror flick, The Hanover House, plus director Corey Norman's riotous short, Tickle, the generous folks there were kind enough to offer me access to a screener of their new short, Suffer The Little Children, which was published in King's 1993 anthology Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
So is this return to our schooldays a dream come true?
Or would I want to put it in detention?

Read on...

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN (2015)

Dir: Corey Norman

Starring: Anne Bobby, Andrew Lyndaker, Beth Somerville, Dan Domingues, Matthew Delamater, James Noel Hoben, Alexa Reddy, Rebecca I. Allen, Bella Moore

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here as this is a short, but continue at your own risk.

Ms Sidley (Nightbreed's Bobby) is an ageing third-grade teacher who runs her classroom with strict discipline, yet seems to be losing her grip a little as she nears retirement age. This is regularly commented upon by both students and fellow teachers who openly wonder when she's going to call it a day. However, one day she notices something strange about a boy in her class, young Robert (Lyndaker).
Upon confronting Robert over what she fears she may have seen, the boy reveals that he may be something other than human, terrifying the teacher and causing her to run screaming from the school and out into the road where she is struck by a vehicle.
After recovering from her injuries, Ms Sidley returns to school and once again speaks to Robert — who reveals he might not be the only inhuman entity among the student body.
Fearing that only she can stop this insidious invasion, an unstable Sidley hatches a truly shocking plan to take matters into her own hands..

WHY IT WORKS: A polished and accomplished horror short, Suffer The Little Children is a big hit due to two key factors. The first of these is the incomparable Anne Bobby, who absolutely makes this role her own. Much like her work in Norman's Hanover House, Bobby is absolutely scintillating to watch, delivering a complex and fearless performance. This character may be our lead, but she certainly isn't our heroine, and Bobby is fully prepared to embrace the elements that make Ms Sidley morally shady.
Bobby is onscreen for pretty much the entirety of the short's 22-minute runtime and it's a testimony to this superb actress' ability that she commands the viewers full attention throughout.
Simply excellent.
Bobby isn't the only cast member to deliver the goods. The other half of what is essentially a two-piece ensemble, young Lyndaker also impresses. The star of Norman's previous creepy short, Tickle, in that film I thought he was pretty good. However, I'm pleased to say that since then young Lyndaker has come on in leaps and bounds and is fantastic here. When playing 'creepy', it can be all too easy for an actor to overegg the pudding, veering into hamminess and robbing the character of a lot of their menace. At his tender years Lyndaker avoids this trap, instead bestowing the simple phrase: 'Tomorrow something bad will happen' with plenty of foreboding. Subtly switching up his performance at key moments, Lyndaker really hits his mark.
Credit should probably go to director Norman for coaxing such fine performances from his cast, but that isn't the only area in which he deserves praise. Earlier I said that this short is a success on two fronts, and the second of these is Norman's assured direction. Much like The Hanover House and Tickle, the film has fantastically atmospheric visuals. The main challenge when adapting any of Stephen King's works is to put across the mood and characterisation that runs throughout his writing. King is a wonderful storyteller and to adapt his words to a different medium requires an equally strong command of the process of telling a tale. When that medium is film, one has to be able to fully utilise the visual component, and the story (adapted by Haley Norman) grants the director plenty of opportunity to do just that. The cinematography is stunning and cleverly subverts the usual tropes of dark and dingy settings for horror, instead transposing these terrifying events to a brightly lit classroom. There is real potential for scares in subverting expectations and the innocence of youth and Norman preys upon this potential flawlessly.
The creative team of Norman and Norman hail from King's stomping ground of Maine and it seems that has afforded them with perfect insight into how best to bring the modern master of horror's tales to life. The plot looks at some seriously weighty issues — violence in schools, mental illness and gun control among them, but never clubs us over the head with its message, instead remembering that most important of objectives: to remain entertaining at all times.
Alternating between cutesy but unnerving and some pretty nightmarish visual effects, the film is a real tour de force and captures that decidedly Eighties aethetic of King's best work. Considering the fact that Tickle totally felt like a classic Eighties creature feature, it should come as no surprise to see that Norman's filmmaking style was a perfect fit for this story. 
And, while we're talking about the story, full credit must go to the Normans for keeping the darkness of King's original tale intact. A lot of filmmakers might have chickened out of going to the place that Suffer The Little Children does, but this film is unflinching and maintains the bite of the short story.
The climactic sequence of this film is legitimately shocking — in fact it may even offend some — and I was left in awe of the ballsiness displayed by the Normans here. It's presented in such a way to have its full impact and, just like the rest of the film, its stunning production values make it even more impressive.

SO WHERE'S IT AT? The short is currently doing the rounds of the festival circuit where its picking up plenty of well-deserved awards. Check out the official Bonfire Films Facebook page here for more information on where you can catch Suffer The Little Children.

10 WORD WRAP-UP: Bonfire Films bring Stephen King's psychological horror to life stunningly

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SHARP SHOCK SHORT: FIRST NIGHT IN THE NEW HOUSE

I've said this before, but it bears repeating — social media is a fantastic tool for film-makers to guarantee that their product finds an appreciative audience.
Recently I received a message via twitter from director Marc Fratto about reviewing his latest film, an offer I gladly accepted. Lo and behold, with one simple act Fratto found another pair of eyes for his short and this reviewer found another title to share with you, my wonderful readers. 

But would this prove to be a film I'd love to move in with?

Or would I want to pack my bags for pastures new?

Read on...

FIRST NIGHT IN THE NEW HOUSE (2015)

Dir: Marc Fratto

Starring: Katelyn Marie Marshall, Miriam Roth

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here as this is a short, but continue at your own risk.

A young woman from Brooklyn (Marshall) and her family move into a creaky old rural house.

Asnight falls the girl bids her family — including her mother (Roth) — goodnight, before retiring to her bedroom. However, shortly after going to bed her rest is disturbed by a rasping breathing sound. 

At first she assumes that the sound is coming from a neighbouring room, so she investigates. But as she slowly eliminates each likely source, she draws inexorably closer to a terrifying discovery...

WHY IT WORKS: First Night In The New House is a low-budget chiller that relies on atmosphere, skillful filmmaking and superb timing to work its magic. Writer/director Fratto takes a simple but effective premise and mines it for every possible drop of tension.

He cleverly employs some creepy framing for his shots, ensuring that the viewer is never quite sure what could be lurking just offscreen, ready to leap out upon being discovered. The slow game of cat and mouse that unfolds onscreen works because he knows how to hit each of his dramatic beats, slowly ratcheting up the sense of dread as we follow Marshall's
midnight sojourn around the titular new house.

The five minute short focuses on the talented young Marshall for the entirety of its duration, and she proves a capable lead. She gives the character a certain endearing inner city cynicism, yet manages to keep her vulnerable and sympathetic. Using plenty of subtle gestures and emotive facial expressions, Marshall delivers a sterling performance and I look forward to seeing more of her work.

Another individual who I'd love to see more from is director of photography David Carlucci, whose cinematography plays a vital role in delivering the film's frights and gorgeous visuals. Horror relies on using deep, dark shadows to unnerve the audience, so shooting a horror film can prove difficult. Using those dark shadows while still enabling the viewer to discern what exactly is going on is a tough balancing act, but thanks tolighting director A.J. Chakravarti, this film manages it. What's more the film grading looks significantly more polished than its humble budget might lead you to expect. 

Another area in which the film delivers beyond its means is the cool (and very unique) effects gag towards the end. I don't want to spoil it here so I shall refrain from going into too much detail, but I will say that it felt like the sort of exquisitely crafted creep-out I've come to expect from James Wan chillers such as The Conjuring or The Insidious franchise. Regular readers will know how big of a fan I am of Wan's work so this is quite the compliment.

Much like he has throughout the rest of First Night in the New House, Fratto (who also handled the visual effects) takes a pretty simple but still-very-clever idea anduses it to its full potential. It's a wonderful example of an abundance of talent and enthusiasm overcoming any financial deficit.

SO WHERE'S IT AT? Fratto and co have been kind enough to post the film online and you can watch it right here!

What's more, Fratto has revealed that he plans to expand the short into a feature-length movie called The Crazy House, which will be a film in which a mob family moves into a house haunted by restless and malevolent spirits. 
Count. Me. In!

10 WORD WRAP-UP: Atmospheric and spooky ghost story leaves us eager for movie

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SHARP SHOCK SHORT: TAILYPO

It often seems to me that the sole purpose of most established folklore was to terrify the living crap out of those who heard the stories.

Obviously lots of these tales served as warnings to very real dangers (plenty of them involve dangerous creatures that lurk in areas in which it could be all to easy to get lost or suffer harm, such as rivers and the heart of the woods), but was there really any need to add quite so much grim, gory detail?
Of course there was! That's what gives these stories the edge!

I recently came across a short film from the folks at Red Headed Revolution that brings the classic Appalachian backwoods legend of The Tailypo to life.

Would this beastie sink its claws into me?
Or would I be gunning for it after my viewing?

Read on…

TAILYPO (2015)




Dir: Cameron McCasland
Starring: David Chattam, Joseph Aguon Drake, Danielle Gelehrter, Ranger

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: This is a short so I'll try not to spoil too much, but read on at your own risk.

The story (like the folktale) follows a poor country dwelling man, Levon (Chattam) as he hunts for his supper alongside trusty hound Jasper in the depths of the woods.
While prowling for prey, Levon comes across a bizarre creature he opens fire,
clipping the strange creature and severing its tail.
Pleased to have secured some fresh meat for his evening meal, Levon heads back to his log cabin where he proceeds to cook and eat his prize in a stew.
However, later that evening he is disturbed by an eerie voice calling out in the dark forest... one asking for the return of its 'tallyho'.
What does the creature want? And is the hunter about to become the hunted? 




WHY IT WORKS: When taking a Southern-style folktale and turning it into a horror story, atmosphere is everything. I love Pumpkinhead for the way in which it weaves its fable-like tale with a rich Southern flavour. Writer/director/producer McCasland sees the importance of 
establishing and maintaining this authenticity, conjuring up a campfire story feel and encouraging the audience to submerge themselves in his short.
He showed a similar style with his fine slasher flick, The Lashman (expect a review here very soon), which should come as no surprise considering that it reunites him with his 2014 feature's cinematographer Josh Icke. 

Icke ensures that the film has a dusty, almost sepia- tinge. This conjures up a timeless quality for the short, while it heightens the earthy feel of the picturesque Copper Canyon Guntown Ranch setting, all shot on location in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. 
McCasland used the ranch to great effect in The Lashman and it works a charm once more, both peaceful and beautiful yet creepy and threatening in equal measure. It brings a level of authenticity to the film that really works in its favour.
Tailypo also sees him collaborate with actor Chattam once more. McCasland says he wrote the role specifically with Chattam in mind and it's easy to see why. 
Essentially a long monologue to delivered to a dog, the role of Levon could have been a terrible flop in the hands of somebody else. However, Chattam is a fantastic actor and exudes a sweet charisma that makes his character sympathetic, likeable and (most importantly) keeps him entertaining. He delivers his dialogue impeccably and uses subtle gestures and facial expressions to fill any moments of silence. It's excellent work and ensures that you care about his fate by the time the mythical Tailypo comes a-calling.

The build-up to this climactic confrontation makes for a skilful exercise in mounting tension. The camerawork cleverly switches between wide open shots of the wooded location and tight close ups, building both a sense of isolation and unnerving claustrophobia. This is ratcheted up into overdrive for the spine chilling conclusion.

However, at just under 15 minutes in length, this is a story that feels no need to rush its hand, giving the plot room to build and gently unfolding at its own pace. The pacing is pretty much perfect, not stretching its tale to an unnecessary length but also never feeling hasty in its storytelling.

Now, I know what many of you will be wondering: 'Do we actually see the titular monster?'

I'm loathe to give spoilers here, but I feel it would be remiss of me to write a review of Tailypo that fails to acknowledge the wonderful creature effects used to bring the bobcat from hell to life.

Drake provides a creepy performance under a costume created by puppet effects wizard Dustin Mills. It's an eye catching design that doesn't overplay itself, and McCasland uses deep shadows and clever quick cuts to hide any shortcomings in the effects. With a modest budget at his disposal, this proves very shrewd and prevents the film from becoming derailed at the key moment through any unconvincing effects work.

One area in which the crew needn't worry about a lack of realism is in the sterling voice work for the tailypo.

Using the vocal talents of Gelehrter (AKA TV horror host Penny Dreadful) the all-important plaintive cries of the Tailypo are eerie and really do contribute to the creepiness of the piece. Gelehrter's voice combines elements of Andy Serkis' Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and classic cartoon voices, along with a strangulated, feral quality. It does exactly what is needed and keeps the audience on tenterhooks.

The Tailypo's voice isn't the only audio treat for audiences either. The bluesy, atmospheric Southern fried soundtrack from composer and musician Thomas Berdinski is superb, it evokes a similar mood to the visuals and perfectly complements the story, locations and acts onscreen. 

In short, Tailypo just 'gets it'.



SO WHERE'S IT AT? Luckily for all of you, the good folks at Red Headed Revolution have put the film live on YouTube and you can watch it right here!







Be sure to check out their official Facebook page for news on their upcoming projects. Give it a Like while you're too, show some love!

10 WORD WRAP-UP: A beautifully told creepy folktale with a very cool creature

If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! 
Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SHARP SHOCK SHORT: LATCH

Attention filmmakers — Twitter is your friend!

Recently I was approached by the wonderful guys at Lovely Lovely Voice (@LuvlyLuvlyVoice), the filmmaking trio of Mark Dutton (@notjustforham), Paul Jones (@Real_PaulJones) and Chris Blight (@Blighty1984), about covering their new short, Latch, via the bluebird-logoed social network.

They got my attention and earned 9mins and 37secs of my time for their efforts.

And it was just shy of 10 minutes very well spent!

LATCH (2015)

Dir: Christopher Blight

Starring: Mark Dutton

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: This is a short so I'll try not to spoil too much, but read on at your own risk.

As the working day draws to a close, a solitary worker (Dutton) finds himself alone in a dark enclosed office on an industrial site warehouse.

While he taps away at his computer, the peace and quiet is disturbed by the repetitive and rhythmic crash of a door left ajar. Nervously he ventures out into a pitchblack subterranean tunnel and finds the door swinging freely in the wind. His suspicions aroused, he carefully makes his way back to his desk... which is when he notices an ominous blue tarp through his window.

A tarp with something beneath it...

WHY IT WORKS: I think it's pretty safe to call Latch a low-fi effort. However, what the talented North-East-based trio of Dutton, Jones and Blight prove is that when it comes to scares there is no greater asset than filmmaking technique. This short may have a tiny cast and very little in the way of blood, gore, creature effects and jumpscares, but what it has in abundance is tonnes of exquisitely cultivated atmosphere. 

The slowly but relentlessly mounting tension throughout the short really is the film's biggest strength — it is a masterclass in building unease.

The story, by director Blight and star Dutton, seems relatively simple, however, as it goes on the plot shows some surprising depth, hinting at a darker, emotional backstory. However, the somewhat linear series of events are presented in such a way as to mine each scenario for every drop of tension. The film shows some impressive cinematography (by Blight and Jones), making superb use of shadow and using a couple of bright, bold colours to make an impact at key moments. The camerawork is especially impressive, with some excellent angles, technically assured framing and a clever use of claustrophobic close-ups and creepy wider angles that hint at something darker and more disturbing lurking in the background.
The film was shot in Newcastle over a couple of weekends and the crew really do deserve the utmost credit for finding some tremendously spooky locations on which to film this nasty little number.

As what is essentially a one-man show, a lot of the film's success hinges on the acting ability of Dutton. And as well as proving a wiz at scripting and in the editing suite, he proves pretty good in front of the camera too.

He's believable in an Everyman way, his reactions never seem questionable and there is never any doubt as to what the character's motivation is. It's a role without dialogue so Dutton has to convey everything just using facial expressions and body-language. It can't have been easy but he manages to tell a compelling story. This is impressive work.

As great as Dutton's character work is, it is the true nature of the enigmatic 'Latcher' which makes for one of the plot's biggest mysteries. The Lovely Lovely Voice gang don't exactly batter the audience over the head with exposition — the film's ending is refreshingly open — but what they do provide is one of the creepiest genre 'antagonists' I've seen in a long, long time. 

Or should that read 'that I HAVEN'T seen'? Utilising the classic method of getting the audience's imagination to do all the work for you, the eerie, motionless presence lurking beneath the tarp is infinitely more frightening than thousands of dollars worth of CGI ghouls or goblins. Trust me.

With plenty of talent and care for their craft on display, Latch firmly establishes Lovely Lovely Voice (not to mention the folks at Mr Blight Productions, EAT. SLEEP. GEEK and turnipheadpictures) as a group of filmmakers that I shall keep a keen eye on in the future.

SO WHERE'S IT AT? I imagine you want to check the short out right now?

Well you can do it here!

Once you've finished, head over to the Lovely Lovely Voice Facebook page and give it a Like. Blight, Hutton and Jones really do deserve it!

10 WORD WRAP-UP: A simple but superb masterclass in building tension and suspense

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Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.