This year’s Women in Horror Film Festival screened 85 (!) short films. Here are my picks for the best of them!
Dark Water
Dir. Erin Coates, Anna Nazzari
A young woman deals with the loss of her mother by going through her belongings, but is unnerved when she finds something that suggests she may have had a twin. She begins experiencing strange changes to her body that soon spread to her childhood home; an ocean environment starts manifesting inside its walls. This film has some of the most impressive production design I’ve seen in a short. The visuals of a water filled tunnel surrounded by floral wallpaper and a normal residential room full of strange sea corals are ones I won’t soon forget. Combine that with some strong body horror effects and this is one of the strongest shorts I’ve seen in quite a while.
Le Otto Dita Della Morte
dir. Frédèric Chaltè
Look, all us horror fans love Italian Giallo films, and it’s been very cool to see a resurgence of the style in recent years with films like Knife + Heart and In Fabric. This short film aims to capture an even more specific feeling: the one from Gialli trailers. Le Otto Dita Della Morte plays like part music video and part trailer for a Giallo that doesn’t exist. It is chock full of super stylish editing, old-school type design, and a great score. Plus, what retro horror trailer isn’t complete without a cool voiceover saying the name of the movie 75 times?
Come Be Creepy With Us
dir. Beth Fletcher
Anna is having a mid-life crisis but also happens to have a Friday the 13th-esque past, and the child that drowned under her watch at camp is coming back for revenge. In a comedic twist, however, the ghostly Bonnie finds a kindred spirit in her target, and the two become good friends. Bonnie vents about how lonely she was at the bottom of the lake (and how she had a failed relationship with a bass) while Anna tells her how she feels like she’s in a slump. It’s an incredibly funny concept, but gradually explores some interesting emotional territory. I absolutely loved this short, and for a while you can watch it in it’s entirety above as part of Short of the Week!
Listen
dir. Jessica Graham
In this extraordinarily powerful short film, we see the deterioration of a marriage in the face of domestic abuse. The way the film is edited, we never see the actual violent acts, only the bruises and apologies evolving over the course of one dinner; this creates an extremely unnerving atmosphere. The two leads, Amy Walker and Trey McCurley, give frighteningly real performances. The ending of the film is satisfying, and this serves as both a perfect PSA for domestic violence and a powerful piece of cinema.
Lili
dir. Yfke Van Berckelaer
In a single long take, Lili auditions for a role and with each line reading she becomes less comfortable with the behavior of the older male casting director. Accomplished writer/director Yfke Van Berckelaer tells the perfect #metoo story that shows exactly what it’s like–in real time!–for a young actress to be put in this terrible position. I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say the titular Lili isn’t someone the man should be messing with. This is the kind of story that only a short film could tell properly, and if nothing else the audience reactions–first of discomfort and then of triumph–tell me that Lili is exactly what we want to see right now.
The Green Ribbon
dir. Ella Fields
The Green Ribbon adapts an Alvin Schwartz story about a boy who falls in love with a girl. He always asks her why she wears a green ribbon around her neck, but she puts off answering until the very end. Part of the 17 and under youth filmmakers block, teen filmmaker Ella Fields creates a fun little tale with a particularly fantastic ending. She has a very successful YouTube channel that I’m now eager to explore, and you should too!
Asking for a Friend
dir. Kelsey Bollig
This stylish short has Blake stuck helping her best friend Q get rid of a body. It’s funny, has great music, and perhaps most notably has insane practical effects. While I’m generally not a fan of longer shorts (this one is about 25 minutes), Asking for a Friend has good characters and snappy editing that make it worth a watch!
Diabla
dir. Ashley George
A young Mexican woman is assaulted by her brother’s friend. She tries to tell her brother, but nobody seems to care; that is, until she meets a coven of witches that help her exact justice. I love a good witch revenge story, especially when it explores a witch culture I’m unfamiliar with. I especially love that in addition to doing something quite nasty to the rapist, the girl also curses her brother to be forced to watch, further cementing the idea that we must listen and believe women. The ending of the film is powerful and utilizes a great practical effect that elicited lots of groans from the audience.
Check out our rundown of all the feature films from the fest here!