By Keri O’Shea
People being put through their bloody paces in rural or sylvanian surroundings is certainly nothing new these days; rather, it’s a horror staple, and so to make good use of it now, you really need to do something a bit special. This is why a film like Tucker and Dale vs Evil, for instance, is such a winner – it takes a familiar premise, runs with it and makes it as funny as hell too. And even if you’re not going to go down the whole self-referential, horror comedy route, well – you probably need some sort of a twist in the tale for good measure. ‘Game’ (2013), written and directed by Josh MacDonald, goes for a little of both of those…check it out.
Game (short film directed by Josh MacDonald) from Angus Swantee on Vimeo.
I have to say, I was very glad of the twist and for the pace with which it was delivered. The opening scenes were pretty ubiquitous after all, and despite the fact that this is a lavishly-shot film with an abundance of well-handled chase scenes, coming to us via a range of shots and a real sense of distance, this film needed a punchline. Happily, it got one. I don’t know what the hell a ‘weremaid’ is, but it’s a great excuse for the OTT campery which rounds things out here. It’s not a mind-blowing twist, sure, but it works for me. Great to see that the sense of humour in this calling card movie extends right through to the end of the credits, too.
Our second film, ‘Torturous’ (2012; directed by Angus Swantee) works similarly to Game in that it starts with something well established in horror, then tweaks it into something more refreshing. For those of you who read this site often, bless you, you might have noticed how often I complain about ‘people tied to chair’ movies, so you may be able to imagine my woe when the opening scenes were of…a person tied to a chair. Before my eyeroll kicked in, however, Torturous redeemed itself – and I actually really enjoyed the results. Here, take a look for yourselves.
Torturous from Angus Swantee on Vimeo.
It’s a skit zany enough to work, isn’t it? A careers guidance guy ‘in the chair’ by mistake? Of all people, surely the army of people wielding drills against their fellow man are those most in need of re-training?
The script knows at just what pace to move along and the joke lasts the distance without being pushed too far – although, I’d say that the cock motif probably qualifies it best for a group view (don’t ask me to clarify that; it’s just the way it is). I can well appreciate why this film has done so well on the festival circuit, as it so effectively spins a torture horror yarn into a tongue-in-cheek, albeit grisly comedy.
If you like what you see here, then do follow the embedded links through to Vimeo and let the directors know. Stay tuned for more Horror in Short, too; it’s been too long!