HORROR SHORT FILMS - 3
The Last Time I Saw Richard by Nicholas Verso ('15) (Aus) (22m)
The Last Time I Saw Richard by Australian filmmaker Nichoals Verso mixes genres, but as it makes one's skin crawl, it must be considered a horror short film. The Last I Saw My Richard (no link to the Joni Mitchell song) is set in a mental hospital for teenagers in 1995, where a rebellious loner, Jonah, finds his dark dreams are shared by his new roommate, Richard. However, Richard's tormentors have followed him into the physical world and Jonah feels like only he can protect him, prompting a physical relationship.
Mama by Andy Muschietti
(2008) (Spain) (5m)
Mama is fairly light on plot and heavy on trope (taking much of its sensibilities from the excellent but prevalent South Korean horror movies of the time), but the filmmaking (especially lighting and camera-work) is pretty brilliant. Largely shot in one take, it follows two sisters who awake one morning to discover that their mother is back. However, their mother is not a source of comfort for them. Muschietti went on to make the accomplished (Stephen King) It remakes.
Slash-In-The-Box by Nick Everhart (2011) (USA) (5m)
Written and directed by American horror specialist Nick Everhart, Slash-In-The-Box is stuffed full of horror film conventions. So much so that it could almost be considered a horror parody. But it is still immensely enjoyable and delivers the chills that one would expect from a horror short film. In Slash In The Box, a husband has brought back an old Jack-in-the-box toy, to which his wife takes an instant dislike. She is of course right to find the toy scary, for during the night the Jack-in-the-box comes to life...
The Sandman by Paul Berry (1991) (UK) (9m) *
The Sandman was nominated for a short animation Oscar in 1993. In this twisted stop-motion short movie the figure of the Sandman, who is traditionally said to bring pleasant dreams by sprinkling sand onto the eyes of sleeping children, is turned into a much darker character. It is time for bed but a little girl is afraid of the dark upstairs of her crooked house. Once the girl is in bed, the moon-faced Sandman enters the house... but what does he seek?
