By BRYAN CHRISTOPHER
Welcome back for a brand new batch of Short Cuts, where we’ve got an interesting range of short horror films this month, including a sleek bath house slasher, some silly, gory puppet fun, and a dive into the maddening world of Lovecraft.
Enjoy, and as always, if you or anyone you know have a short film you’d like me to consider or if you’ve got some news you’d like to share in the short horror world, please contact me via Twitter or email me at remedialhorror@gmail.com!
Steam (2021)
Length: 15 minutes Director: João Dall’Stella Starring: Steven Eich, Andrew DiConcetto, Trent Walker
Queer horror often (and with good reason) pulls its scares from the various ways society perpetrates violence on the queer community. What’s interesting about João Dall’Stella’s film, though, is that it allows queer characters to experience horror beyond that inflicted oppression. When a young gay man visits a bath house for the first time with his partner, his anxiety over this new endeavor is amplified when he realizes someone is stalking and killing the patrons. Dall’Stella gives us a sexy, tense, gory slasher that focuses on queer characters without punishing them for being queer.
Where you can find it: Streaming in YouTube
Snore (2021)
Length: 10 minutes Director: Luther Bhogal-Jones Starring: Sarah Williams, Nick Holiday, Andrew Calverley
After watching Luther Bhogal-Jones’ short film one thing has become very clear: we need a lot more puppet-based horror films. I could have watched hours of comically vile Karen and whipping boy Callum suffer the torments not just of the seedy hotel they’re forced to stay in as yet another of Karen’s shady deals goes awry, but also of the tiny pig man that happens to dwell within their room. If the story seems a little far-fetched, then let me remind you: puppets! It’s all delightfully silly and since it’s horror there’s plenty of blood-soaked felt to be found. I’d actually love to see this turned into a series of some kind, either through the ongoing misadventures of Karen and Callum or even just through a puppet horror anthology. I don’t care how it happens, I just want more.
Where you can find it: Streaming on YouTube
The Eldritch Dreams (2021)
Length: 18 minutes Director: Danny Takacs Starring: Evie Takacs
I like to think of Danny Takacs’ short film as something of an H.R. Lovecraft primer. When a young woman stumbles on a box hidden in her chimney, she discovers references to all of the classic elements that we often refer to as “Lovecraftian.” There’s a journal from Miskatonic University, notes about vast otherworldly realms, and, of course, our favorite tentacle-faced Antient One. You can guess where things go for the poor girl who finds this stuff, but that’s part of the charm. It’s taking all of these elements and letting them play out with attention to craft and detail. Plus, I was pretty impressed with the brief glimpses of the “other side” that could not have been easy to pull off on a typical short horror film’s budget. Overall it’s a tight, straightforward portrayal of what we find compelling about Lovecraft with none of the overwrought/xenophobic flab that often goes along with his work. Great stuff.
Where you can find it: Streaming on YouTube
