Welcome to part two of our three-part Women in Horror Month edition of Short Cuts highlighting women short horror directors. In this batch of films we dive into methods and effects of domestic abuse shown through an abstract lens, a woman’s inner turmoil projected in the outside world, a shoe wielding killer, and more creepy tidbits from some extremely talented directors.
LVRS (2019)
Length: 11 minutes Director: Emily Bennett Starring: Emily Bennett, Cole Simon, Jack Downey
In regards to abusive relationships, you often hear people question why a person would stay with someone doing them emotional or physical harm. In Emily Bennett’s LVRS, she takes a surreal approach to show the manipulative aspect of abuse as a woman is slowly destroyed by a faceless man who keeps showing her who she wants to be while breaking her down into what he wants until there is nothing left. It’s got just enough fantastical elements to soften the blow of what we’re watching, but there’s little room for doubt as to the reality of the situation even as we see how easy it could be to get caught up in it.
Where you can find it: Premiered on ALTER February 12th. Watch the trailer here.
Lost (2015)
Length: 9 minutes Director: Tananarive Due Starring: Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due is an amazing storyteller who has a number of great short horror stories to her credit. In Lost, we see these talents transfer to the screen pretty seamlessly, and with minimal resources. Shot with nothing but a cell phone, a few props, and herself, Due manages to create a sense of unease in a story about a woman lost in the woods while grappling with how her own choices have impacted the lives of her loved ones. It’s not just a film with a point, but one with a call to action that’s been relevant for far too long.
Where you can find it: Streaming on YouTube
From Hell She Rises (2018)
Length: 8 minutes Director: Ama Lea Starring: Zena Grey, Emma Julia Jacobs, and Sarah Nicklin
If you’re tired of seeing women pushed to the side as nothing more than eye candy when it comes to gothic horror, then the characters in Ama Lea’s vampiric short are very much with you. Lea’s clearly having fun sending up the tropes from the Hammer Horror days, as in this film men’s attempts to keep women on the sidelines only end in the man’s bloody demise. It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the clash of classic aesthetics with modern sensibilities.
Where you can find it: Streaming on Vimeo
Contamination (2013)
Length: 23 minutes Director: R. Shanea Williams Starring: Cherise Boothe, Ami Brabson, Christopher D. Burris
Horror films often explore the things that scare us, but in Contamination R. Shanea Williams explores what happens when everything scares us. After barely surviving an illness, a young woman is left agoraphobic and germaphobic as she’s deathly afraid that whatever caused her sickness may return. Williams depicts this fear as it permeates every corner of this woman’s life, making even the simple acts of talking to loved ones or picking up a package outside her door as potential sources of death. Williams really conveys the heartbreaking and frustrating nature of the woman’s plight, but also opens the door for at least a glimmer of hope in the final frames.
Where you can find it: Streaming on YouTube
Stiletto (2019)
Length: 3 minutes Director: Meltem Yalcin Evren Starring: Ed Murden, Sofia Marincic, Alexander Kelling, Owen Fitzpatrick, Jonny Banks, Eliza Nelson
Last month I featured a short film from the “Straight 8” competition that challenged film makers to produce an entire short film using one roll of 8mm film with no second takes and no editing. After watching Stiletto, I’m coming to realize that I really dig the products people create within these criteria. In this case, Meltem Yalcin Evren has put together a bizarre giallo/slasher hybrid with a girl stalked by a drag queen brandishing the titular weapon. It’s a trip and really shows how much fun the result can be when a director is challenged to create something without being able to tinker with it at all.
Where you can find it: Streaming on Vimeo
