If the purpose of art is to disorient, this short film succeeds at it most brilliantly. With its disparate images which still somehow find a common link weaving them together, all thanks to its skilful narrative, Under Covers involves the viewer right from its very first opening visual. The film offers a heady cocktail of childish images and mature content that would leave the viewer baffled about what to make of the film, but in the most wonderful ways. From controversial to violent to simply disturbing - the images roll one after the other, invoking sexuality, religion, violence and the fear of the supernatural. On a night of a lunar eclipse, all that it simply does is delve into the lives and secrets of the inhabitants of a small town. As the surreal, dreamy transitions follow in quick successions, would you have the stomach for what it has in store for you?

Under Covers | Short Film of the Day

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

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

Humour and horror are two components of storytelling as disparate and distinct as oil and water if handled without finesse. And yet, if put together with attention to detail and the manner of treatment, they can lead to a sufficiently fulfilling story. The film is one such example, more effortless and satisfying in its final product than simple, sufficient fulfilment. The narrative is tight and crisp, without wasting a single moment and hitting the nail on the head right away. The pace, as a result, comes across as organic as well as engaging. The story is of one night when a woman is heading out for dinner with her parents and partner. If the viewer has been left wondering so far by the title of the film, their curiosity is about to be dispelled at this little get-together. The visuals employ a skilful use of close-ups with a complementary background score to bring to life on screen a fairly disconcerting story. Despite the assurance you may have given yourself so far, owing to the setting and the general ambience, that nothing truly disturbing is going to happen, the unease that something terrible lurks just around the corner, never leaves you alone. It is in this constant undercurrent of tension and stress that the success of Brought to You by Satan lies.

Brought to You by Satan | Short Film of the Day

The film is a brief, crisp, fast-paced story about a woman who is grappling with immense change in her life. Sam has recently moved to a new city with her husband. Away from loved ones and a life she was more familiar with, she now finds herself physically and emotionally isolated. 

 Throughout the film, there is an overarching suggestion of the loneliness she battles in her marriage as well. With an absentee husband, Sam only has her own terrors and nightmares as companions in the darkness of the night. The film explores all of this and some more in its few minutes, roping in jump scares and a suggestion of the darkness of the human mind, to bring its intended horrors to life. 

 There is a suggestion of the internal demons of the mind making their way into the corporeal, physical reality of the protagonist, while keeping the viewer guessing about the nature of the haunting - whether supernatural or psychological. In the process, the final result becomes an engaging and absorbing ride, one that will keep you at the edge of your seat all along.

A Bitter Murmur | Short Film of the Day

The world of The Paranormal Communicator is most fun and entertaining. Despite the potentially gruesome aspects that constitute it, namely, murder, violence and a haunting, it remains a realm you find yourself heading deeper and deeper into. The characters are endearing, and sure to stay with you after you are done watching the film. 

Michael (Michael Benjamin), a medium for spirits, visits Veronica to help her in the aftermath of her brother’s demise. After an awkward introduction, the former more awkward than the latter, the two lead the viewer by the hand into the heart of things. 

The humor which is invoked in the process, remains smooth and effortless. The plot, that is based on characters made famous by Benjamin on TikTok, is engaging throughout. Consequently, the film presents to you a story which does not seem to take itself too seriously, and yet ensures that all the punches land. The endeavor is sincere and devoted, and leaves one with a lovely union of horror and comedy at the end of it all.

The Paranormal Communicator | Short Film of the Day

Of the many phrases and phenomenon that have surfaced from the world of dating in the last couple of years, 'ghosting' remains an oft discussed entity. Using it as a starting point for the viewer's introduction to its premise, Ghost Me portrays the story of a single night when Kat and Joe meet for a cozy, intimate date. And yet, amidst wine and flirtatious banter, the most unexpected revelation awaits Joe. The seemingly cheery house of his date is haunted, and by multiple ghosts indeed. 

 The audience's surprise and uncertainty with the direction the evening is now headed in finds a reflection in Joe's reaction as well. However, instead of getting daunted by this new piece of information, he chooses to give the idea of a potential relationship with Kat a chance. 

 The narrative that thus develops exhibits a dedication to storytelling, employing jump scares, but steering clear of the usual traps of the approach that may weigh down an endeavor of the kind. As it intermingles horror with humor, at the heart of the plot rests a metal, floral box, with its dainty aesthetic in synchronization with the rest of the apartment. It contains secrets the unearthing of which will pack a shocking climax for the viewer, and also the answer about the conclusion of this strange, potentially fateful night.

Ghost Me | Short Film of the Day

A dark basement, an old, inherited house with a history of its own, and insidious secrets that threaten to be the undoing of the characters involved - all of these elements together constitute the world of L.U.N.A. The film opens with an overworked, disgruntled employee, Lillian, visiting a house to provide technical help with a gadget her company makes. 

As Sarah and Jaime take her deeper into their lives, an undercurrent of mischief being afoot soon wriggles its way into what had so far seemed like a regular, mundane task. Things begin to spiral out of control until a moment, marked by its high intensity and even higher stakes, establishes and ensconces itself in the plot. 

 Within the brief duration of ten minutes, the film presents its sincere and dedicated endeavor to you. The imagery comes to be marked by symbols like a goat and a triangle, suggesting the presence of something satanic and sinister that lurks right below the surface. The employment of all of these tools is a notable hat-tipping to very specific aspects of the horror genre, tied together to ensure that the viewer is in for an entertaining, chilling ride.

L.U.N.A. | Short Film Nominee

A series of smooth visuals, swift and neat in their progression, take you into the protagonist's world. As he watches online tech reviews, a strange delivery makes an appearance at his doorstep. 

 The package is opened to reveal a set of VR equipment, the film's reality supplemented with animation and graphics all along to conjure its various aspects for the viewer. However, the seemingly harmless situation, which could have simply been a man's interaction with a new gadget, soon takes a much darker turn. The audience is allowed to gauge the morbidity of the circumstance before the hapless protagonist himself. 

 The narrative displays the desire to weave a story, complete with attempts at horrifying the viewer, and steering clear of over-exploitation of jump-scares. Amidst a world enveloped in sinister, supernatural elements, garbed in the attire of technology, lurks a gory realm of bloodshed and violence. However, when the events have played themselves out, will things ever be the same again for the protagonist?

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