Whether or not the film intended it, it manages to convey more than a single story through its layered narrative. A nurse, played by Gemma Whelan of the Game of Thrones fame, finds herself making her way into an eerie house which is in a state of complete abandon. The only other inhabitant of it is her patient, a bed-ridden, elderly woman. The film builds itself slowly, maintaining a pace which strikes the right balance between revealing and concealing adequate amounts of the plot. As the nurse gets to taking care of chores and looking after her patient, she stumbles across a door which wasn't previously visible on the wall. Just when she is about to succeed at opening it, indistinct noises from inside forces her to not only shut it tightly, but block its path completely to ensure it never manages to open itself. Of course this isn't the end of the road for our protagonist, instead only the beginning. The door begins to follow her around the house. However, her most difficult obstacle is perhaps something else, as suggested by the haunting, most jarring climax and the conclusion of the film. Additionally, the image of the door struggling to open itself, but constantly being pushed back by the protagonist in her fear of the unknown, becomes a notable message about one's internal struggles to shut out what is unknown to them, even if it potentially holds the key to their escape from a far more horrifying situation.

The Blue Door | Gemma Whelan | Short Film of the Day

The short film is a skilfully disconcerting exploration of maternal love and the disturbing manner in which it tears a family apart. It opens with a grim shot of a red-cheeked child in a coffin, invoking a sense of morbidity that would come to haunt the entirety of the narrative. Unable to let go of their dead son, the couple finds itself making their way to a doll-maker. The latter can briefly make them forget about the death of their son, with a fair warning to never let the illusion overpower their sense of reality. As a horror story would have it, the characters of course overlook the warning, or find themselves incapable of paying heed to it, leading to dire consequences. The Dollmaker is a deeply engaging story, sure to satisfy admirers of horror and otherwise. Albeit not entirely fresh, it is an interesting and engaging comment on the indomitable human desire to bring someone back from the dead and to seek transitory relief, as illusory as it might be, from loss and pain, even at the cost of complete self-annihilation.

The Dollmaker | Short Film of the Day

The film exploits its economy of dialogues to a huge extent and disturbs the viewer deeply in the process. Reminding you once again that supernatural is not always important to invoke a deep sense of horror and chills that run down your spine, threatening to consume your being, the film instead employs the darkness of the human mind. It simply rides on objects found in any average household - sewing pins and brooches - to terrify the viewer. There is no direct act of overt violence, mind you, beyond the image of a man tied to a bed. There is also no ostentatious camerawork or gimmicky plot devices to hook the viewer to the narrative. However, what the film achieves is something far deeper and darker. It shows the complete collapse of a familial space, a structure we are traditionally conditioned to see as a source of warmth and safety. It drives its characters to points of selfish acts from where there is no return in the name of preserving their lives. Based on a true story of a woman who had harmed her family in a similar fashion as the protagonist of the film, Nose Nose Nose Eyes is the stuff of nightmare even fans of horror were too scared to ask for, but were rewarded with it anyway.

Nose Nose Nose Eyes | Short Film of the Day

Thrilling, powerful and sinister are the three adjectives that most perfectly define the experience of interacting with I'm Still Here. The film takes us into the very uncertain, and therefore, doubly horrifying reality of a woman called Maggie who is hiding in a basement while waiting for her parents to come back. The latter had ventured out in search of supplies seven days ago and have not been heard from since. 

 In the process, the film invokes the deeply disconcerting situations of emotional isolation, along with a physical kind, allowing it to be a more hard-hitting story in a world that is only beginning to get back on its feet from the lonesome existence of a pandemic. The physical threat is never truly revealed to the viewer, thereby allowing it to invoke fear of a distinctive visceral kind, individual to each mind, one heightened by concealing more than what the story reveals. However, in addition to this, it is the oppressive internal, emotional threat that truly captures the viewer's attention and ensures they are unable to look away even in the face of something potentially fatal awaiting the protagonist. 

 There is further much to be said about the expert and sophisticated manner in which sound is employed to conjure the world Maggie inhabits. Markedly, it is indeed another woman's voice on a walkie-talkie, Emory, that allows decisive and crucial forward movement of the plot. As the two women find themselves a space of companionship, solidarity, and hence, much-needed strength during a moment of paralyzing panic, the film conveys all of its intentions in a notably effortless manner. Moreover, it would indeed be quite something to see the short film as a longer project.

I'm Still Here | Short Film of the Day

Not for the haters of jump-scares, but oh, what a ride is ‘Paranormal Investigators’! While horror-comedy might not be the easiest genre to deal with, efficiently employing the characteristics of the two categories to both amuse and horrify, Markus Meedt makes it look like a walk in the park. The film employs elements from both, ensuring each punch lands as intended. 

It is Abi’s first day at BPIT or the British Paranormal Investigation Team, when things soon begin to devolve into absolute chaos. What may have begun with a brief collision with hostile colleagues, soon takes the form of a haunting that is sure to stay with the entire BPIT team for a long, long time. 

Pushed in a corner in the face of an invincible adversary, both metaphorically and quite literally, the characters have little to turn to for help, when something unexpected happens. The narrative’s path to this eventual point of release is an entertaining, engrossing one. The characters are endearing and amusing, and in the process, ensure that you end up going all the way with them on this frightening, exciting journey.

Paranormal Investigators | Short Film of the Month

A woman goes about her day, putting on a clean dress, and taking care of chores in the house. The visuals, however, are coupled with a sinister voice of a man who proclaims god-like truths, immediately making the viewer deeply uneasy. 

The woman, on the contrary, is comfortable, and in the process of preparing for something, a ritual perhaps for the Children of Enoch, the cult she is a part of. After the death of Father Enoch, the leader whose voice now echoes through the realm of the film pronouncing the cult's philosophies, and two of her companions, she awaits their resurrection on the sixth day. The film opens on the very day when, if the dead are not brought back to life, the watcher, the woman herself, must ‘join’ them in their ‘journey’. 

Long, fixed shots of the protagonist moving about in a house with notable ease that harbors three dead bodies, daintily dressed in her pale pink dress, ushers in the definitive horror inherent to the narrative. The subtlety of the horror, quiet but undeniable in its impact, becomes the most prominent strength of the film. The consequent, skillfully-handled narrative, further bolstered by equally remarkable performances, becomes powerful and disconcerting in its brevity.

The Watcher | Short Film of the Month

The short film invokes the most disconcerting narrative by portraying how sometimes the source of our worst fears are the very places which should have been associated with comfort and safety. The story is predominantly of a single night when a girl finds herself realising that her most fearsome and loathsome thoughts stem from a young man she has decided to invest herself too deeply in. The film further offers an interesting exploration of the dynamics of a heteronormative relationship where the boy threatens her mental and emotional security, if not physical. In a society where conversation around gender is gaining prominence, it is often convenient for oppressive tools of patriarchy to steer clear off overtly problematic behaviour that allows them to pander to their ego and sense of righteousness. Amidst all of this, what of the consciousness of a young woman trapped in a relationship with a man who stands for everything she abhors? The Rat is a potent comment on how women find themselves located in a society where patriarchy reigns free. The protagonist may have drawn whiskers on her face with little cat ears to go. However, when she wakes up to find her makeup smudged the following morning, would she find it in her to finally outplay the rat?

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