By BRYAN CHRISTOPHER
Happy February, and welcome to the latest installment of Short Cuts! As we look longingly to spring, I’ve got some great short horror films to at least help make the time go by a bit faster. This month I’m highlighting a micro-short that takes the munchies to a new level, a creepy, old-school haunted house tale, and a colorful new spin on the zombie/infection narrative.
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!
The Only Thing I Love More Than You Is Ranch Dressing (2019)
Length: 1 minute Director: Sydney Clara Brafman Starring: Madison McGhee, James Soller
Sometimes, we want our horror to elicit powerful feelings. We want to be disturbed or even downright horrified. Other times, however, we just want to get a kick out of some casual cannibalism. Sydney Clara Brafman’s micro-short is firmly in the latter category. At just about a minute long, you might wonder if you’d accidentally stumbled on the trailer. Not to worry, this is very much bite-size horror, as a couple in a bar combined with an errant dip in ranch dressing gives new word to the meaning of finger food. It would be impossible for this film to drag given it’s runtime, but it’s impressive that Brafman tells an entire story in a matter of seconds. Sure, it’s not a story that has too many layers or begs for further exploration, but sometimes it’s enough just to provide a fun bit of horror that packs a bite, and in that this short very much delivers.
Where you can find it: Streaming on Alter’s YouTube beginning March 12
The Haunting of Pottersfield (2020)
Length: 8 minutes Director: Andre’ Dixon Starring: Erik Grey, Lori Katz
Having never been a paranormal investigator, I can can only imagine that mysteriously waking up in the middle of one of the houses you’re investigating doesn’t bode well for your future fortunes. Such is the case for Jason and Leigh, who barely have time to rub the sleep out of their eyes before all manner of malevolent entities start messing with them. Director Andre’ Dixon packs a lot of supernatural shenanigans into the short, including a burly brute of a janitor and a pretty gnarly gag that incorporates a grotesque take on a mop head. But the star of the show for me is the “Lady” of the house, whose creature design is the stuff of nightmares. Overall this is a truly potent, chilling haunted house tale that hits all the right notes.
Where you can find it: Streaming on YouTube
Chromophobia (2020)
Length: 12 minutes Director: Mark Lediard & Gavin Williams Starring: Kristel Buckley, Sam Neale
I love watching the creative angles filmmakers take for infection narratives, be it the rage-infected berserkers of 28 Days Later or the language-centric zombies from Pontypool. So directors Mark Lediard and Gavin Williams really caught my attention by weaponizing colors in their short film. We enter the fray well after the world has been laid waste by a mysterious pathogen that works through certain colors and turns inflicted people into mindless killers. I really appreciate how Lediard and Williams weave the rules of the infection through the story without relying on an exposition dump, as we see the pair of survivors avoid objects with bright colors, cover themselves with white paint as protection, and reveal that only certain colors are truly dangerous. I’d definitely like to see this world explored further in a feature film, but even as a short film it’s a tense, satisfying experience.
Where you can find it: Streaming on YouTube
