Review: A/S/L

Recently I had the pleasure to watch a new horror short entitled A/S/L. Which for those in the know means Age/Sex/Location. Remember that old show to Catch a Predator? Which wasn’t about Dutch trying to catch The Predator. No, instead it was about luring pedophiles into a trap. The story of A/S/L concerns a nerdy married dude who gets drawn into the type of situations that would crop up on that show. But instead of getting busted, let’s say things get a more bit gory.

This was a pleasant surprise. There’s a uneasy feel to the short. Due to the subject matter. It helps the creepy feel. The actor and actresses where all good. The standout being a surprise cameo by Tristan Risk of American Mary fame. The short has a polished look to it. Would fit in on a horror anthology series. Another surprise was the gore effects. Not only was there a bit of the red stuff, it was nicely done.

If you get a chance check out A/S/L do so. It’s a cool horror short. I’m eager to see what this crew tackles next!

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Short film review: David Stay's Creepy

By indrid13

I recently had the privilege of checking out the new short film by David Stay (Sphere of the Lycanthrope, Dahmer vs. Gacy, Photon)entitled Creepy, and let me tell you, it lives up to it’s name! The film begins as David’s character investigates a strange voice emanating from a basement area (as what looks to be a skull peers at him from a window). Where or who he is never revealed, which adds to the short’s overall mysterious tone. As David plunges his hand into a darkened space under the beams of the ceiling, his hand is savagely attacked by an unseen assailant. Just what this feral, snarling beast is the viewer is never informed. As the film progresses, David’s character begins a spiraling descent into madness. He is abused, cut, and suffers from psychotic episodes (that are reminiscent of the works of seminal Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto). The basement becomes a living, breathing character itself. Loaded with cobwebs, bizarre cavities, a weird floor of almost organic plastic, and more dust and dirt than seems possible, it seems like David is trapped in the innards of some supernatural beast, rather than a structure of brick and cement. As David’s investigations continue we are presented with tantalizing clues as to what is going on, but the pieces of the puzzle are never put together properly, which only heightens the films suspense and over-all surreal nature. David does eventually come upon an object that leads to a reveal that no matter how astute a viewer you may be, I guarantee you will never have seen coming!

After the film ended I was left wanting more, and ending aside, I could see this easily being fleshed out into a full length feature, perhaps even shot partially documentary style. Who are the figures in the aged portrait that we see, what events transpired in this location that made it so haunted, who is David in relation to the events? All of these questions popped into my head, which means the film did what all good films should do, engage the viewer and make them invested in the story. At only seven minutes long, the film contains a surprising amount of tension and atmosphere (accentuated by the superb editing of Mike Gilhooly), not to mention the under lying mythos of the cursed basement. I strongly urge everyone to check out David Stay’s Creepy at either of the following links: http://www.vimeo.com/11328658 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpYtSH5xZUQ. Please feel free to utilize the comments section of this review to leave your own analysis of the film as well! As David would say, "Rock On!"