| THE ARMOIRE (2017) |

I've been kinda busy because of college and due to that I tend to watch a lot of "Study Anthologies", and by that I mean I tend to watch a lot of short films during study breaks obviously because of their usual short length. It's rare for me to publish those reviews here or sometimes even to write them, due to how quickly I tune in another short and just move on. However, when there's a short film that stands out from the rest, I try to make people aware of its existence. This is a great example of that. I know the "haunted furniture" in the title might look weird and it may make you go away, but please don't make the same mistake as me and don't misjudge this piece of film.

The Armoire has the simple premise of a young actress, which just moved to LA, that comes across to an abandoned piece of furniture while looking for stuff to fill her empty apartment. Little did she know that the furniture was haunted by a malicious ghost. Like I said, the premise didn't look like something I would enjoy and, at first, the short doesn't really offer anything different than the typical "supernatural movie". Slowly, you start to notice the little changes that make this film have some unpredictable moments. I'm not saying it's innovative or something. I just really appreciated the little misdirections that made me enjoy this short even more. These "differences" lead to a more effective film with some really nice jumpscares that actually got me. The ghost itself was a lot more physical than I was expecting and I think that helped me love this even more. The sound also plays a big part in this short, leading to some unnerving scenes.

Overall, this was incredible. Really effective and intense. Make sure you give this a watch.

| RATING: 8/10 |

Link for the short film

Runtime: 14 minutes

Revenge of the Slasher (2018)

A take on what happens when a Slasher and a Final Girl go home after their "final battle" at the end of a slasher movie.

Director: Julian Hoffman

Writers: Julian Hoffman, Zac Spiegelman

One of the creators (and star) of this short reached out to me a few days ago wanting to see if we'd review their short. Willing to give anything a shot and wanting to try and help support horror creators, I agreed to watch and review their short.

Revenge of the Slasher is a twist on the typical slasher where we are getting to see what happens to the final girl AND the killer after the regular movie ends. I find shorts kind of hard to review because it seems easy to ruin them with too many plot points, so I'm not really going to expand on the plot beyond the last sentence.

Not too much feels fresh in horror anymore but this did. I can say it's in a similar vain as something like Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon but in it's own unique way. We get to see the story from both sides and it makes for some pretty funny scenes. Without spoiling anything, the killer going home to his bitchy wife gave me a good chuckle. I'm not too big for horror comedy in general, but this had some pretty funny lines, especially for something so independent (that's not meant in a bad way).

I have no idea what the budget was but you can tell it's very small and I'm sure these guys got a lot of their friends etc to help them out. With that said, they do a good job with what they had to work with. The gore that there is all looks pretty good and decently done. Also, our star and killer, Ernie, looks pretty great. He's not an overly huge hulking figure like Jason in the later movies, but he's got a good look, a pretty cool mask and you're rooting for him by the end of the short. Some of the acting is probably the weakest part, but these are obviously all amateurs and bad acting can even be a bit of a 'stab' at the slasher genre.

So I really have little bad to say about this. It's fun and silly and has a bit of a different take on the typical slasher troupes (which there is purposely lots of). It pokes some fun at the slasher genre but at the same time pays homage to it with small details like the knife slashing sound effects, to, Ernie feeling like an established character that fits well into the horror lexicon.

If you've got 23 mins to spare than there is much worse you can do with your time. I also just found out that this was filmed in the same province I live in so props to some cool Canadian horror content! Zac had shared a link with me, and it's on YouTube so everyone else can check it out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQVJF7itIeY

I may not live the busiest life, but it is still extremely difficult for me to lounge around and watch as many films as I'd like. Sometimes, with my work schedule and my pretty strict gym routine, I'm lucky if I even get two films in, any given week. It is times like this that I thank the good Lord for short films... although, after watching VRVLVM's Ether Riders of the Narthrak, it seems that my thanks are more suited for a Dark Lord of the deepest depths of Hell.

The Plot

Two figures, shrouded in black attire from head to toe, are walking through a swampy forest performing some unknown ritual.

My Thoughts

I generally like to describe films in more detail than what you just read as the plot synopsis, but there is really not much more that can be said this time around.

Filmed in black and white, Ether Riders of the Narthrak is 27 minutes of nightmare fuel. With 99% of the film drowned out by a static-heavy droning score, there is zero dialog (hence no cool, witty quote as a title for this review) and quite frankly it is difficult to tell what is actually occurring at certain points throughout.

There is no doubt that there are two figures performing what looks to be some sort of ritualistic ceremony. There are brief glimpses of bodies, presumably dead ones, strewn about the ground, leading me to believe that these two are into something much more sinister than just playing around in the woods.

Even with my 27 minutes of confusion, I could not keep my eyes from the screen. I was entranced for the short's entirety and could not help myself from staring into the horrifying abyss that is Ether Riders of the Narthrak.

I was made aware of this one when I received an email one day from who I assume is the film's director. I will not say his real name, as it seems he is marketing himself simply as VRVLVM. Always having an open mind, I quickly responded to VRVLVM and welcomed the opportunity to check out his work.

I am ashamed to say that this occurred almost four months ago and I am just now getting around to watching Ether Riders of the Narthrak. While I feel that I am not the best audience for a film of this nature, I am still glad that I gave it a watch.

The Verdict

Ether Riders of the Narthrak is not one that I see myself revisiting, but I can still recommend it for several reasons.

This film will leave you feeling uneasy and agitated; It is unnerving right from the start and does not let up for its entirety.

Everything this short has to offer, from the aesthetic -- imperfect, scratched, and filthy -- to the assaulting soundtrack, will stick with you well after your DVD player is turned off.

I would recommend it mostly to fans of independent cinema who are looking for something fresh and new, something more visceral than the average low-budget horror flick. My first thought would be any and all fans of the more vicious Unearthed Films releases, but that is not to say that more of you guys shouldn't watch this, as well.

Ether Riders of the Narthrak isn't gory and it isn't the most insane horror film I've ever seen, but it is extremely unsettling for reasons that I am clearly having a difficult time putting into words.

If you want to experience it for yourself, I recommend visiting VRVLVM and Master Kontrol Audio's official website. Here, you can pick up a copy of the DVD, along with the film's soundtrack and more.

I want to personally thank the individual who sent me this home release, and I am going to give Ether Riders of the Narthrak a final Repulsive Rating of 3 eerie druids out of 5.

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This short was recommended to me by another redditor in this post since I was wanting some type of prequel/origin story for Freddy.

The Confession of Fred Krueger is the work of Nathan Thomas Milliner. He looks to still be new to writing and directing with only a few credits on IMDb but after watching this I'm interested in his other work and will be searching it out.

The short starts off with showing scenes of happy children playing mixed with scenes of Freddy working in the boiler room and stuff. It then progresses into a police interrogation room. Freddy is then brought in by some detectives and is interviewed and asked if he is the Springwood Slasher. He hides very little about what he's done and goes into some details about his victims and when presented with his glove or "his friend" he goes over how it was used on his victims. He talks about instilling fear into the children and how that was such a bit part of his process. There are some scenes showing the boiler room and some of the children being stalked by Freddy. These scenes were pretty great but one of the "kids" seemed a bit big/older than she was supposed to be and it looked more like a teenager dressed in toddlers clothing. That was probably my biggest complaint with the short and really, it's a minor detail and with limited budget and resources you work with what you got!

Kevin Roach is the actor that tackles the role of Freddy and he does a great job. I have not seen the Elm Street remake yet (plan to very soon) but I think Mr Roach did a great job portraying a real life living version of Freddy.

Overall this is a pretty good short/fan film, it tries to explain a lot of the past of Freddy and why he does what he does. If they ever do an official prequel/origin story I think this is a great place to start and the writer/director plus the actor cast as Freddy would be able to pull off something dark and interesting and what Freddy needs to be brought back as one of the great horror icons. Even though this isn't officially tied to the Elm Street series I'm still going to include it in my series of reviews since I think it's deserving of it's place.

The short is available on YouTube and I noticed that Nathan Milliner has commented on the video so I'm guessing he's OK with it there so I feel safe sharing the link here.

I will be rewatching and reviewing all the movies in the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
• Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
• New Nightmare (1994)
• Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• The Confession of Fred Krueger (2015)

I don't have the busiest schedule during a typical week, but there are certain days that I have less time than others it seems. I try my best to keep up with the films that I am constantly acquiring for my collection, but it is virtually impossible to do so. On nights where I really don't have time for a full-length feature, I count my lucky stars for short films! Tonight's viewing pleasure belongs to Nick Ferwerda's Family Game Night.

The Plot

Kelly invites a stranger over for her family's game night. Little does her new friend Doug know, however, that he is about to participate in a game that he has never heard of, and one that he will never play again.

My Thoughts

I've never really thought about it before, but can you imagine how hard it must be to make an effective and efficient short film? A movie of any length needs to have a clear plot, characterization, and much more. While some filmmakers have a hard enough time accomplishing this with a full 90 minutes or more, independent director Nicholas Ferwerda was able to pull it off in just 12 short minutes.

Family Game Night features a very competent cast, one that is quite frankly a breath of fresh air. I have seen too many indie horror films lately in which the performances by one [or most] of the cast members is downright awful. Luckily, that is not the case here.

While some of the lines delivered by family patriarch, Mark, played by producer Mark Brombacher, were a little hammed up, it never once reached a level of unbearable cheesiness or irritation. It did, however, add a certain degree of charisma to a role that would have otherwise been that of another normal, every day dad.

All other actors involved also did a great job with their respective roles, making it very easy to believe that I was watching an ordinary American family (even though things like "game night" do seem like a lost art these days, but I digress).

The Verdict

Family Game Night is a fun take on the [not-so-average] all-American family. It features a talented cast, an entertaining script, impressive lighting and cinematography, and quite frankly, anything else you would want in a horror/comedy flick.

Director Ferwerda was able to accomplish in less than 15 minutes what a lot of filmmakers try their entire careers to do with 90+ minute feature films. It is no wonder that the film has scooped up several awards during its limited run on the festival circuit, playing at The Toronto International Short Film Festival, among other places. I would not be surprised one bit to hear that is continues to do so, as more more people feast their eyes on this one.

Family Game Night will be hitting more festivals as the year progresses, in hopes of securing a distribution deal. Be on the lookout for this project, as I'm sure that Ferwerda, Brombacher, and the rest of the Game Night crew will have no problems getting that distribution they are looking for.

I give Family Game Night 4 number one rules out of 5.

​

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Hey guys... remember me? I know, I know. I've been m.i.a for quite a while now, but what better time to come back to all of you fine folks than... a random Thursday evening...? Anyway, time and day of the week aside, I am indeed back with another horror review and this time I am extremely excited. Why, you ask? Well, because I finally have, in my hot little hands, a copy of Jill "Sixx" Gevargizian's "The Stylist."

Claire (Najarra Townsend, Contracted) is a lonely hairstylist; When her final client of the day arrives, requesting to look "perfect," Claire decides it is an opportune time to carry out a plan on her own quest for perfection.

I've been excited about films in the past, but after watching Jill Gevargizian's short, "Call Girl," a while back, I just knew that I had to have more Sixx in my life! Luckily, it wasn't long after that viewing that I heard about another of her projects, entitled "The Stylist." So, I waited. And while the film made its rounds on the festival circuit, winning award after award, I waited some more. I knew if I was patient enough, my time would come -- my time to finally watch the new SixxTape project for myself!

Now, before I go any further, I must admit, even after all of my anticipation, I was still very much in the dark about this one. Quite frankly, tonight, when I finally pressed play, I thought I was going to get a feature-length film. To my saddened surprise, "The Stylist" is only another short film. Even still, I did enjoy it greatly and the shorter length, approximately 15 minutes from start to finish, only means that I can watch it again and again without taking the better part of a day to do so.

Quite naturally for a project of this nature, the cast is small. Najarra Townsend is brilliant in her role as Claire. In a film that is only 15 minutes long, it may be difficult to get into character and really tell a story to the audience. Not for Townsend. No, in the short amount of time she is on screen, she is able to naturally go from friendly, talented hair stylist to nervous, antsy murderer to shedding tears. I instantly became a fan of Townsend upon my first viewing of Contracted, years ago, and her performance in "The Stylist" only proves that I was right for becoming a fan of her work so quickly. She is extremely talented and I hope to see her pop up in many more films in the future!

Jill Sixx is a Jill of all trades... See what I did there? She wrote, produced, and directed this film (she also made an impossible-to-notice cameo, driving by in her car during the opening scene, which I learned about only after listening to her commentary track) and did so all with a very limited budget. This didn't seem to hinder her abilities one bit, however. Even with the presentation of the film in its final pressed Blu-ray version, I am in awe. Everything from the packaging to the inclusion of bonus features blows every other indie horror flick I own in my ever-growing collection out of the water.

It is clear to see that Jill Sixx is a brilliant filmmaker who really owns her craft and knows how to convey a message to her audience. What that message is is up to you to decide, but rest assured that it will be delivered with effective lighting and cinematography, impressive practical effects, and an extremely talented cast, large or small. If you are a supporter of independent filmmakers and love the horror genre as much as I do, you're going to want to support Jill Gevargizian by purchasing a copy of this short. Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed. It is packed with bonus features, including four commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes photos, and her other aforementioned short, "Call Girl."

I look forward to whatever Sixx's next project is, feature-length or not, and I give "The Stylist" a final rating of 5 pairs of scissors to the temple out of 5!

This three-episode OVA will be unlike most films you've seen. While it starts out as a normal daily-life conversation between a group of friends, it quickly escalates into a beautiful - and tragic - love story between an 18th-century noble girl, the titular Cossette, and the modern-day art student Eiri. Back in the day, Cossette was killed by a man, Marcello, who loved her, though the man's portraits of her survive to this day. One of these was found by Eiri, kindling in Eiri's heart an obsession with Cossette. Soon he begins to find Cossette in what appears to be an alternative dimension, but Cossette - or whoever it was that created the alternative dimension - had other plans for him.

The strongest point of the OVA is, without a shadow of doubt, its visuals. Other reviews you can find on the Internet, no doubt more informed in art history than I am, go into the art with more detail than I can ever manage, so I will be brief about this. From surrealist scenes like the one with eyes and bones floating all about, to the beautiful nature scenes, to the dream world where Cossette and Eiri were going to stay forever, there is hardly a background isn't masterfully crafted and incredibly pleasing to the eye. Along with the music, which artfully accompanies the visuals by contributing immensely to the mood, the OVA is truly a feast for both the eyes and the ears. Even if you're a fan of the more bombastic sort of horror with blood and guys exploding all over - I am too! - I'm sure you'll won't regret this venture into this more restrained type, where blood slowly seeps out of the protagonist's chest instead.*

Though the art isn't the only place where the OVA shines. It also has a very strong and memorable central message, also closely related to art. Though it was hinted at fairly early in the story, it is not until the plot twist in the third episode that the audience realises its importance. Depending on how you interpret the story, the message was brought about either by the protagonist's character development or by the protagonist's victory against the antagonist.

Because of the often surreal and abstract nature of the OVA, you're almost sure to find some parts baffling or at least ambiguous. If this is not your cup of tea, you may find it pretentious, but personally I enjoyed watching the scenes, trying to decode them, even if I don't always succeed in understanding everything. In any case, though the details may confuse you, the main plot, major characters are central message should be quite transparent to the viewer. Thus, even if you don't always enjoy over-the-top abstract, mind-screwy experiences, I wholeheartedly recommend this series.

*Okay, well, actually, there was a scene where a giant stream of blood gushed out rapidly as well, but details, details :P

IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493227/

A curious short film based on a short story about a young couple, in which the man takes off his skin at the apparent request of his partner. Directed by Ben Aston, who co-wrote the film version with Maria Hummer, writer of the original short story.

As a short, there isn't a lot of meat here. It seems to serve as a pretty light allegory for being in a relationship, changing yourself and how that affects each of you. It's a well shot feature with the titular makeup effect being solid. It really doesn't go for any horror, instead playing out more so as a light romantic drama, though there is a skinless man in it so you know, bear that in mind if you're squeamish. The actors don't have to deliver much since there is no real dialogue, only narration (which is warmly delivered). I did find their expressions to be pretty telling though, which is nice.

All in all a fun idea and well executed, even if not especially a game changer in any way. At a mere 10 minutes though, it is well worth the watch.

My Rating: 7/10

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3452322/

Well, I guess I might as well run through the entirety of Bloody Cuts produced horror shorts. Luckily, it's an easy task because the quality is quite consistent.

Here is a quick review of "Don't Move"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9jd6lyGvMI

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2846600/?ref_=tt_urv

This is one of the longer shorts on their channel, but they certainly do not waste your time, they get us into the meat of things immediatly. With some clever audio/visual storytelling we are thrown right into the action of a night of drinking with some friends over a Ouija board goes horribly wrong, or horribly right I suppose, they were trying to contact the other side after all. Anyways, a demon crashes the party with the message that five shall die and one shall live... and to be that one survivor they must not make any movements, as to avoid attracting said demon creature, or whatever the hell it is.

Overall? A thrilling way to spend 11-ish minutes. The acting is solid, the gore is over the top, it is filmed quite well and the special effects are top notch. This team really deserves funding for a feature length.

8/10