GSFF: Scared Shortless
Over August I had the pleasure of having access to the Glasgow Short Film Festival online, and each film I have seen has been captivating and unique. As a horror fan, I was especially keen to see the Scared Shortless programme and share my thoughts!
The introduction to the programme starring the director of the festival was creative and really set the tone for the films that followed. Notably reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project in its home footage style, I knew I was in for an entertaining hour and a half.
Around the World in Eighty-Seven Minutes
A selection of shorts, one from each country of origin screened in the programme:
UK: Satanic Panic ’87 (Bryan M. Ferguson, 2019).
A love letter to 80s horror that has both a sarcastic humorous tone, and dark, twisted happenings, Satanic Panic ’87 watches like a cult classic in the making. The two main characters are instructed by a workout video tape to carry out human sacrifices in order to open the gates of hell, and they do so unapologetically. The hellish aerobics video along with the two devoted metalhead protagonists are sure to persuade you to feel the burn.
Japan: My Little Goat (Tomoki Misato, 2018).
My Little Goat is a metaphorical real-world take on Little Red Riding Hood, presented as an animated fantasy. A mother goat rescues her kids from the wolf but can’t find her eldest child Toruku. The adorable, Sylvanian like figures could fool you into thinking this is a movie for children, but the dark twist reminiscent of a Grimm’s fairy tale covers a heavy subject matter in an interesting and poetic way that after viewing left me with a surprising sense of sadness.
USA: Valerio’s Day Out (Michael Arcos, 2019).
Despite not using a lot of what you may think of as ‘conventional’ footage for a short horror film, Valerio’s Day Out is successful at being simultaneously disturbing and amusing, not something you might expect from a story about an escaped zoo animal who has been locked away. Valerio’s voiceover felt like a mix between a letter to a faraway lover and an excerpt from serial killer interview tapes. At one point the animal’s cage is referred to as a cell, and the newsreaders joke they have turned him into a criminal. This reference to the character, who has been anthropomorphised, as an animal (both as a jaguar literally, and in being portrayed like a criminal) made my mind wander to both trial by media, and animal welfare. Valerio was only showing natural behaviour, unhappy being locked up in the zoo without his love, is he really to blame?
Malaysia: Vinegar Baths (Amanda Nell Eu, 2018).
Vinegar Baths was an entertaining and modern take on the Penanggalan; a vampiric entity in Malay mythology. The initially seemingly harmless nurse bides her time in the maternity ward, attempting to satiate her appetite as she waits. Exploring the female body and our relationship with our own, pregnancy and childbirth, the film offers a contemporary commentary that still stays true to its heritage.
Poland: The Little Soul (Barbara Rupik, 2019).
This enchanting short was equal parts beautiful as it was uncomfortable. A human soul escapes from its body which has become stuck on a riverbank and embarks on an adventure through a strange land, making an unlikely friend along the way.
The use of painting and other mixed media was creative and worked incredibly well in showing the little lost soul escape his human form and begin his journey to the next life. With a lack of dialogue, the music complimented the cinematography, and there are some emotional moments that caught me off guard. The painted stills could stand alone as a piece of art, but are moving and captivating in motion, similarly, to Loving Vincent in its use of painting to tell the story, The Little Soul should definitely be on the watchlist of any art fans.
Femme Fatales
A section dedicated to some of the shorts from the programme directed by women.
Farmland (Niamh McKeown, 2019).
Farmland goes from zero to one hundred and doesn’t slow down. It follows three sisters and their brother discovering that their father’s will, which includes the family Farm, does not mention all of them causing bickering and chaos to ensue. The western style provides an interesting insight into sibling rivalry, and the petty comments and beautiful scenery juxtapose with the brutal events that unfold.
Deep Tissue (Meredith Alloway, 2019).
I always get excited to see a body horror directed by a woman, but in this case Alloway also wrote and starred in Deep Tissue; a film about a woman meeting with an unconventional masseuse in a rented room. The plot is modern and humorous, a look into the awkward nature of meeting with strangers you found online with the purpose of being intimate. Beyond that however, the merging of cannibalistic imagery alongside the motel room massage explores toxic relationships, the line between pleasure and pain and also included some surprisingly tender moments.
Dead Mall (Olivia West Lloyd, 2019).
Dead Mall begins with a young woman who has been lured into the car park of an abandoned mall and must venture inside in order to escape. This modern take on the Greek mythological creature and tale, the Minoan Labyrinth, tricks you into a false sense of security. The film is a maze of unnerving elevator muzak and horrific surprises; a contrast from what I was expecting (a slasher flick or some sort of merging of Death Line and The Descent). This film had multiple twists and offered a fresh take on a historic myth.
Written by Larissa Hird
