A Father’s Day. A UK short zombie film from Mat Johns, about an undead father and daughter trying to make the best of an apocalyptic situation. It pulled on the heart strings, often to good effect, but was perhaps a bit too nonsensical at the end for my cold cold heart.
Sandman. The world premiere of the Nottingham made short film from SuperfreakMedia was a truly creepy and scary five minute horror. A young woman wakes from a dream and things get, well...creepy and scary, when a strange figure starts to haunt her.
White Lily. The second world premiere and second Notts-made film of the showcase, this time from writer Adrian Reynolds and director Tristan Ofield. A lyrical, poetic sci-fi, with real top notch looking production values, about a man and a woman on a small ship set to investigate a comet.
Dawn of the Deaf. This UK short from Rob Savage started a bit too much like an advert for a deaf society, but it went to an unexpected and well executed place. A nice take on a particular horror sub genre...
A Father's Day
Strangers in the Night. An Irish short from director Conor McMahon was one of the showcase’s best. A love story about a man and a banshee – it is hilarious. Really well played by all the actors and the banshee effects looked awesome. It is, basically, a romantic horror comedy. And a bloody good one.
MANOMAN. An incredible animated short, using puppets, from the UK’s Simon Cartwright. It is about a shy man who is finally pushed too far, forcing him to vomit up a naked and very angry miniture version of himself. With hilarious – and gross – consequences. Watch it, in full, above!
Nasty. Prano Baily-Bond’s UK short film set in the eighties was a well crafted horror about a twelve-year-old boy who becomes interested in his father’s video nasty VHS collection after he goes mysteriously missing. Baily-Bond got the period setting just right and it was suitably creepy.
The Home. The UK premiere of this US horror from filmmaker L. Gustavo Cooper was set a nineteenth century Irish home for pregnant women out of wedlock. This was a very well made short, with some creepy evil going on, but it definitely felt like a showreel piece to expand upon rather than a self contained short of its own.
The Stylist. This fifteen minute US short film from Jill Gevargizian was well and truly creepy, about a lonely, and somewhat insane, stylist. It was a really nice looking film but lacked something for me.
The Procedure. Calvin Lee Reeder directs what must be the most well crafted, elaborate, and fantastic fart gag ever created. It had me, and my companions, giggling well into the next film.
Quenottes (Pearlies). Directed by Pascal Thiebaux and Gil Pinheiro, this French film may have suffered slightly from being placed after The Procedure in the running order. Nonetheless, it was a strange one – about the Tooth Fairy (a little mouse in this) being a right cunt about wanting its full quota of teeth. It had some nice elements, but I wasn’t a fan of the concept itself.
The Short Film Showcase was shown as part of Mayhem Film Festival 2016, at Broadway Cinema, on Saturday 15 October 2016.
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