By GRACE DETWILER
This trio of short films takes the horror(-adjacent) genre in wildly different directions, each offering a fresh spin on familiar fears. “The Snow Leopard” is a moody thriller about the dark side of mentorship in the world of classical music, where ambition turns deadly. Screamfest premiere “Stomach It” goes all-in on body horror, showing the disturbing breakdown of a crime scene cleaner who can’t escape the violence he’s surrounded by. Meanwhile, “Detox” blends sci-fi horror with social satire, as a woman’s attempt at a tech detox hilariously backfires during an alien invasion. Whether dealing with psychological tension, gory shocks, or dark comedy, these films push the genre’s boundaries in distinct and memorable ways.
“The Snow Leopard” (dir. Taylor Joshua Rankin)
A dark academic thriller, “The Snow Leopard” draws immediate comparisons to Tár (2022), blending tension and psychological drama with an eerie and compelling score. The film delves into the sinister depths of the mentor-student relationship, particularly within the high-stakes world of orchestral composition. With its pulsating strings and discordant yet harmonious musical motifs, the soundtrack becomes a character in itself, evoking the patriarchal lineage of knowledge and the ever-present ghosts of composers past. The film’s tension builds to a chilling climax, as the student turns on her mentor in a shocking act of betrayal. While the dialogue occasionally falters with stilted lines, the film’s gripping atmosphere and satisfying finale make for an unnerving watch. The film is available to stream on YouTube as of today.
“Stomach It” (dir. Peter Klausner)
A visceral exploration of second-hand trauma, “Stomach It” follows a crime scene cleaner as his inability to compartmentalize his work leads to a horrifying descent into madness. With minimal dialogue and a focus on unsettling imagery—children’s toys in a blood-stained bathtub, an unfinished meal on a table—the film captures the profound loneliness and psychological toll of staring into the remnants of violently ended lives. The body horror is relentless, as the trauma festers inside the protagonist, ultimately manifesting in graphic self-harm, culminating in a stomach-churning moment of disembowelment. The gore, while extreme, serves a purpose: a physical representation of the mental breakdown that comes from witnessing too much death. “Stomach It” is a brutal and haunting meditation on the cost of bearing other people’s horrors. The short film premiered at Screamfest, October 8-17, 2024.
“Detox” (dir. Alex Hanno)
In Detox, a woman’s attempt at a 48-hour break from technology turns into a satirical sci-fi horror that pokes fun at the performative nature of “digital detoxes.” Despite locking away her phone, she can’t resist the pull of social media, obsessively checking likes on her post about “unplugging.” As she tries to reconnect with nature and “filter out the noise,” chaos begins to unfold outside, with ominous signs of an alien invasion. Her stalker is an anonymous shadow that grows ever closer as she begins hearing and seeing strange things. Yet, she continues documenting the experience—right up to the moment she’s abducted. With its blend of horror and comedy, the film humorously critiques our dependence on digital validation, though its uneven tone sometimes undercuts the tension. Detox is a clever, if not always cohesive, commentary on the blurred lines between reality and our online personas. The film is now available to stream via YouTube.
