Four Great Horror Film Shorts You Need To See
There's never a shortage of original, engrossing horror films to consume. You'll find them in many lists that circulate online at notable spaces such as Blumhouse.com, film festivals, and of course, YouTube where it's highly likely the next Lights Out is now. Here are four horror films that all feature central Black characters and two that were created by Black women.
Little Red's Pie (2016) Written & Directed by Rae Shaw
Little Red's Pie is a somber yet righteously vengeful spin on the Little Red Riding Hood fable many of us remember from our formative years. The classically grainy aesthetic that immerses itself in the film's tone of a haunted memory, the silent/soundtrack storytelling technique is used perfectly to capture the anachronism of the tale and maximize on the audience's emotional experience. Rising from tragedy, Little Red seeks retribution for the loss of innocence and joy. Shaw has certainly made something old new again in the most refreshing of ways.
Trailer
Spooky Club (2016) Written & Directed by Joe and Lloyd Stas
Halloween is coming and many of us are jazzed about this. A sort of follow-up to 2015's Death Master's House, Spooky Club, a rapid-fueled, campy tale about a rag-tag group determined to make their Halloween celebration one in remembrance of Vincent Price by commandeering his skull for cremation. UK actor Michael Muyunda is Franklin (I feel this is a Peanuts reference), the club's intense leader who's mission-driven passion is nothing less than infectious. The product of the production work from costuming to editing is superlative and elevated by a classic chill with a youthful spirit. Facebook | Join the Spooky Club
The Tickle Monster (2016) Directed by Remi Weekes
You may not be quite ready for the payoff in this bite-sized creepshow. The Tickle Monster starts off simple enough with a young, straight couple lounging around without a care when suddenly Elliot (Percell Ascott) feels multiple finger tips tapping his bare skin while Nat's (Rhianne Barreto) hands are preoccupied with her phone. It's that feeling you can't quite put your finger (no pun intended) on when you're not sure if that physical sensation is a tick that's all in your head or something is actually taking some space on your person. It's a feeling I personally loathe and played out in a special way with this film. Watch it here. Thank you Shadow And Act for the heads up.
Last Words (2015) Written & Directed by Raeshelle Cooke
Love and romance, or, what we perceive to be those things tends to spiral humans into this slippery slope of immense joy and madness. Like, maybe I've experienced a little of these things in my relatively short (but feels much longer) existence compared to many. Horror here saves the day as a cathartic approach to the subject with Cooke's delivery of an experimental narrative take on intimate liaisons, betrayal, and the afterward. Last Words plays like an internal exploration into a very hostile emotion that is naturally, dare I say, murderous.
Watch here