As someone who programs a festival based mainly around short films, it is always a joy to watch the short film showcases at other festivals.
For Gasp Horror Festival’s inaugural showcase, they featured a diverse mix of films with an array of themes. Here’s my brief thoughts on the films screened.
Basic Witch
We follow a witch who wants to change the way she looks, but the spell goes wrong and she becomes a Barbie-like character.
Its overtly camp, with zombies, a Dr. Frankenstein parody and brain-eating. A fun, and carefree romp.
And Now Our Next Guest
This is a cautionary tale of how fame at a young age can damage a person. We meet a woman who is stepping back into the spotlight ten years after her big break as a child star, plus the mysterious death of her parents.
You can telegraph that part, but where this shines is in the psychological exploration of the damage she has endured before he mind collapses.
With a hint of King of Comedy or Joker, for more modern audiences, this is haunting.
Slices
When you think that the maniacal smiling clown at your door is your pizza delivery man, you may be more sick than you thought.
This is the basis for Slices, which turns into a micro-slasher as a killer clown invades the house of a sick woman.
Minorly gory with a hint of black humour sprinkled on this pizza.
Out Of My Skin
Another witch-themed short where a woman casts a spell that goes wrong, but in this, she is replaced in her own body by a malevolent demon.
A decent enough execution but it seems to fumble the finale, making it less impactful.
Hands Off
With the recent success of Evil Dead Rise, many audiences are hopefully going back to see the zaniness of Sam Raimi’s originals.
Here we have a short that pays homage to one of Evil Dead’s most recognisable sequences, but transports it into 2023 and into the sloppy hands of…influencers.
We have a couple trying to amputate the hand of a girl infected by a demon, but are equally concerned with getting those live stream numbers.
Very funny with plenty of blood; job done.
Serialkiller
Full disclosure; I knew what I was getting with Dwight Darko’s Serialkiller going in, having screened it at this year’s Bloody Flicks Awards.
We follow a wannabe slasher, aiming to be up there with Jason and Michael Myers. The film is extremely self-aware and while its twist can be telegraphed to a point it does offer something different than your standard stalk-n-slash.
Morto Rossa
This felt like a riff on Suspiria, as a young ballet dancer tries out at the local dance school, only to find out the judges are youth-sucking demons.
While not as outlandish as Argento’s classic, it is short, sharp and straight to the point.
Devour
Definitely the shortest film on show here, Devour clocks in at barely a minute.
We focus on a young queer woman who takes her love for her partner to a whole new level as she begins devouring her.
The Cove
The Cove follows a fisherman, who encounters a mysterious woman whilst cruising the local rocks off-shore.
What he doesn’t know is that she is a carniverous mermaid. Features some fantastic prosthetics and teases its reveal well, before the inevitable happens.
Andre’s Bedroom
An animated short that focuses on the titular Andre who is trying to ward off unseen aliens from his bedroom.
This short tries to tell the story from the child’s perspective with its fast-moving narrative. Competently shot, but Andre’s Bedroom doesn’t really go anywhere.
Requiem
The festival saves the best until last with Requiem, a queer love story setting during the 1600 witch trials.
Viewers will recognise Bella Ramsey from The Last Of Us and Game of Thrones fame, but while she is excellent this is an ensemble with real production value.
The story is played so poignantly, and only exposes again the hypocrisy of the trials themselves. As Thrones proved to us in the past, there is nothing quite as harrowing as hearing someone being burned alive.
Ultimately, Requiem is more heartbreaking than it is horrific.
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