After her sister’s murder, Nic, her younger sister and two friends seek solace through a Pacific island kayaking adventure. Hours into the trip the women are stalked by a shark and must band together, face their fears and save each other.
Starring: Teressa Liane, Ann Truong, and Saskia Archer
Directed and written by: Andrew Traucki
Check out the video below and find out how many pools of blood it received...
Demi has stayed in bed for weeks due to the Chinese postpartum tradition. Although she tries to be as cooperative as possible, the weeks-long confinement and endless chicken soup push her to her limit.
Starring: Lee Chen, Willis Chung, and Christine Liao
Directed and written by: Liang-Chun Lin
This might not be a “A Dire Strait” for some, but it is for Demi. She has recently given birth, but instead of getting to enjoy motherhood she’s confined to her room. Demi does what she’s supposed to like rest in bed, and eat soup that her mother continues to feed her. Her mom insists that she watch what she eats, and rests in order for Demi to take care of her newborn.
What mom doesn't know is that Demi might not be doing what she’s supposed to be doing after all! She’s having fast food delivered to her window, and roaming the house when no ones there. As things come to a head between mother and daughter, some strange things start to happen to Demi’s stomach. Sides are drawn within the family, but what will all this do to mom and her baby in the end?
Postpartum must be a hard thing for many women to deal with, and even harder in some cultures that put unnecessary stress on new mothers. This short horror film picks up on that stress, and shows Demi’s struggle to stick with tradition. A tradition that has her eating some unappetizing looking soup, and some strange things happening to her stomach. The true horror here is the situation, and the divide it has on the family. “A Dire Strait” gives the audience just enough drama, laughs, and horror while bringing light to an important issue.
HorrO
More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2022/06/25/thriller-short-film-a-dire-strait-won-the-grand-jury-award-from-dances-with-films-2022/
A group of artist’s lives become unwittingly entangled as their obsession and insecurities manifest monsters, demons and death.
Starring: Krsy Fox, Adam Busch, and Bryce Johnson
Directed by: Spider One
Written by: Spider One and Krsy Fox
“Allegoria” is an anthology that smoothly weaves the lives of artists together while unleashing probably their worse nightmares. These musicians, actors, writers, and artists have no idea their work is about to turn against them. The audience won’t have to wait long to witness their craft bite back. The first short zooms in on a passionate acting coach, and the demands he’s making on his students. Just as the audience gets lost in his words something shocking will happen, and make them eager to see what comes next.
What’s next is definitely something dark and creepy. Artists get their inspirations from different places, and this one might have picked the wrong place. While making an intense phone call he realizes he might not be alone anymore. He won’t be able to stop looking at what has come out of the darkness.
The next short takes things in another direction, and gives horror fans some bloody fun. A screenwriter is having a little writer’s block, and can’t decide on what his killer should do next. Well he’s about to have some unexpected help that gives him a variety of options. Much like the opening short, the fourth entry will try to get the audience lost in the awkward conversation between two people who have just met. One of them will feel like they’re living out their dreams, and the other is going to bring that dream crashing down.
As the final segment unfolds, it will make a big connection to one of the previous shorts. One roommate is nervously excited about a chance to further their career while the other lets curiosity get the best of them. Evil is summoned, and ready to be heard.
This anthology starts with an acting teacher wanting to bring out the monster in his students, and there will be plenty of monsters to go around in the end. Some monsters will leave the audience with nightmares, and others will make a bloody mess. There’s the dangerous kind that hide inside the average person, and their victims will never see coming. The only problem with the film is that there weren’t a few more of these terrific shorts to enjoy! With that, I give “Allegoria” 3.5 pools of blood!
HorrO
More about this film at: http://promotehorror.com/2022/06/27/allegoria-on-demand-and-streaming-on-shudder-on-august-2/
Colonel Palmer - nicknamed “The Black Dragon” by Vietnamese locals due to his distinctive dragon tattoo - is forced to confront his inner darkness when his platoon, in the midst of covering up an unspeakable atrocity committed under his command, present to him a mysterious young woman who harbors very strange powers. Now, Palmer will be forced to reconcile his wrongdoings in a truly nightmarish way.
Starring: Matthew Del Negro, Celia Au, and Chris Day
Directed by: Alex Thompson
Written by: Nathaniel Hendricks and Alex Thompson
“Black Dragon” might be a nickname to start, but it will mean a lot more in the end. Colonel Palmer (Matthew Del Negro) is the leader of a small group of men during the Vietnam War. The war is taking its toll on all the soldiers, but especially the Colonel. It seems like maybe they’e done something they shouldn’t have, and he’s having a hard time dealing with it. His internal battle gets worse when one of the soldiers brings a strange woman (Celia Au) into their tent.
The soldier mentions that she has a special power, and the Colonel wants to see it for himself. In front of all the soldiers, she performs her magic shocking everyone. It seems like everyone is thinking about what just happened, but it has an even bigger effect on the Colonel. His inner demons begin to play with him more putting everyone’s lives in danger.
This short horror film is making its way through festivals, and it won’t take long to realize why. While war is in the background, the real battle is the one the Colonel is going through. The audience will see his pain get bigger and bigger, and the split decisions he has to make. It’s these decisions that spark the horror in the film. From horror the audience might expect in war to a really creepy moment when the Colonel is staring at his soldiers. Obviously the woman plays a part of that too with her white eyes, and magic she uses. There’s even a mythical figure that will appear, and it looks all so real. “Black Dragon” is well shot and acted, but one of the best things about it is how the intensity of the situation grows and grows from beginning to end!
HorrO
Starring: Jae-yeong Jeong, Nam-gil Kim, and Ji-won Uhm
Directed by: Lee Min-jae
Check out the video below and find out how many pools of blood it received...
