2018 In Sound, We Live Forever

• Directed by: Joshua Giuliano
• Written by: Joshua Giuliano
• Stars:  Torsten Johnson, Drew Marquardt, Eric Rice
• Run Time: 11:43
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eTT_xOdmxs

What Happens

We open on a red truck, seen from a distance. As we zoom in, we hear two young people talking about music and making out. We don’t see them at all. We hear her point out that there’s someone watching them, then we hear them get ready to leave, and then we hear them being attacked. Then there’s the aftermath…

Commentary

I was expecting the camera to eventually pull away and show us old skeletons, and that the couple died a hundred years ago, in a plague or something, their voices recorded on the tape with the music. Nope, that wasn’t it at all. 

This is really well done. We don’t see what happens through the first half of the story; we just hear them talking as we watch the truck and imagine what’s going on. The second half is pretty standard for a slasher/stalker film, but the lead-up to that is really good. 

2024 We Forgot About the Zombies

• Directed by: Chris McInroy
• Written by: Chris McInroy
• Stars:  Kyle Irion, Carlos Larotta, Jarrod Yerkes
• Run Time: 3:43
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkE4CDN-ILo

What Happens

It’s the zombie apocalypse, and one of the two characters has been bitten; it doesn’t look good for him. They run into what appears to be a lab, with a table full of syringes marked “C__E.” Could this be the cure to the zombie infection?

Maybe, maybe not. Finding out is the fun part. 

Commentary

I know after the first shot, I’d be slowing down on those injections. Still, it’s better than zombification, right? This is brilliantly paced, makes perfect sense, and is really, really funny. 

2022 The Kid and the Camera

• Directed by: Braiden Ortiz
• Written by: Braiden Ortiz
• Stars:  Animated, Richard Stibbard
• Run Time: 7:30
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyhoT3smJEQ

What Happens

Young Cailen is gifted a camera, and he absolutely loves it. He takes the camera with him everywhere and shoots everything he can, until an accident happens and the camera gets cracked. That night, unable to sleep, a strange fairy comes to his window and says he can fix the camera. 

What could go wrong?

Commentary

This is stop-motion animated, and not the smooth stuff we have today, but the janky, jerky style from the 1970s. This whole film is very retro, including VHS interference and overexposed images. I don’t remember this one from my childhood, but it looks like I should. 

We had a pretty good idea where this was going, but it’s fun to watch it unfold. Very cool!

2024 The Auteur

• Directed by: Bethany White
• Written by: Patrick Crellin, Bethany White
• Stars:  Paloma Anastacia, Patrick Crellin, Jordan Perry
• Run Time: 8:38
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVxJxPWOazE

What Happens

A man sits at his typewriter and gets to work on his script. As he types, we see his words take shape in the real world. He’s written the perfect, sexiest woman he can think of, and then he writes ways to terrorize and murder her. Sometimes, however, your characters can get away from you…

Commentary

The only complaint I have here is that there are several points at which I couldn't read what he was typing, and we were supposed to be able to follow along. It’s very suspenseful; there’s no real explanation, just weirdness. It looks good, it’s got a nice concept, and it’s just the right length. 

Very well done!

2024 Teletubbies Horror: The Footage You Weren't Meant to See

• Directed by: Nicolò Fumero
• Written by: Nicolò Fumero, Francesco Lucci
• Stars:  Ciak Company
• Run Time: 4:14
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMgojSc7GZE

What Happens

In this classified government video, a person with voice-altering equipment tells us that the following footage was taken by a missing child who has never been found. It’s also obvious that this isn’t the first time this has happened to a missing child. Who could be behind the disappearances, and what is the strange being, Helios?

Commentary

It’s always been pretty horrifying if you think about it, and the way this is filmed, in the found footage style, makes it even creepier, and funny as well. 

Very creative!

2025 Versace Softboi

• Directed by: Charlie Gillette, Sarah Metcalf
• Written by: Charlie Gillette
• Stars:  Charlie Gillette, Becky Granger, Wesley Han
• Run Time: 13 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kL8EGaWcec

What Happens

Em nags at Alex to get off her phone; she seems addicted to that thing. She’s texting with a new boyfriend, a literal Versace model. She’s smoking pot and getting uptight, but then she sees her new boyfriend, Sam, standing outside, stalking her. 

Is he a stalker? Maybe. They all talk about their past stalkers, and they’ve all had one. 

Commentary

Is it paranoia if they’re really following you? Could it be a coincidence? It starts out pretty much as nothing, but it escalates pretty quickly as the situation gets more and more uncomfortable. 

It’s well shot, well acted, and looks good, but not much really happens. 

2019 Toe

• Directed by: Neal O’Bryan, Chad Thurman
• Stars:  Cassie Carey
• Run Time: 7 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJAaoCH1Cqw

What Happens

We watch an animated boy walk through the desolation, looking for food. Instead, he finds a toe buried in the ground. He hacks it off whatever it was connected to and takes it home to cook and eat it.

He never considers for a minute that the owner might want it back…

Commentary

It’s very crisp and sharp black-and-white. It’s hard not to compare this with Tim Burton’s visual style, but this is much bleaker and less whimsical. 

This one is crazy good!

2024 Subject 7

• Directed by: Aaron Hall
• Stars:  Adam Kenzie, Michael Cuddy
• Run Time: 8:41
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48NaqNr08d8

What Happens

Trevor is in a blindfold being asked some questions for some kind of research study. It looks like a lie detector test, but the blindfold is unusual. The questions keep coming back to “Are you a Communist?” Yet it’s 1983. 

Does Trevor have ESP? Sure looks that way.

Commentary

It’s all very “Cold War” but with the added twist of psychic powers. It’s just two guys in a room talking, but it’s interesting from beginning to end, and the ending is really unexpected. 

I did not see that coming. Very well done!

2023 The Persistence of Time

• Directed by: Dustin Weible
• Written by: Dustin Weible
• Stars:  Samantha DeBoer, Daniel F. Gray, MJ Mattiaccio
• Run Time: 9:28
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5DDDp53QXc

What Happens

It’s 1957, and two time-traveling detectives work on a case. We’re told how the FBI started using time travel to investigate old cold cases, mostly just for historical documentation. He explains that you can’t go back to the same point in time twice once you’ve been there; no do-overs. 

The agents go into the motel room and find parts of a body; where did the rest of her go? Detective Roni turns the body over and sees that it’s… herself. 

This isn’t going to end well, is it?

Commentary

That’s not how you pronounce “Temporal.” “Something’s out there, watching us. We never knew. Not until we went too far and messed with things out of our control.”

Time travel is always fun, and mixed with existential horror, it can only work out badly in the end. 

Nice!

2023 Fetal Position

• Directed by: Joseph Yates
• Written by: Joseph Yates
• Stars: William Tokarsky, Greg Wattkis, Avra Friedman
• Run Time: 7 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a37hYr2VfI

What Happens

A strange-looking man walks up to a crowd of people protesting an abortion clinic. He goes inside and orders “one abortion, please.” He’s very insistent– maybe for good reason.

Commentary

I liked some of the protester signs: “You wouldn’t abort a car!” What? “Morning sickness? Try Thalidomide!”

I’ve never had one, but I don’t think abortions work like that, at least not most of the time. On the other hand, the immigration jokes are just about 100% accurate. 

It’s low budget and cheesy, but also very funny. I like it!

2023 We All Belong to the Tower

• Directed by: Dustin Weible
• Written by: Dustin Weible
• Stars:  Harley Renault, Logan Cobbs, Kevin Kedgley
• Run Time: 9 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVm7gzfcl4c

What Happens

Kaitlin’s father gets an emergency call from work, but he’s an architect, so how bad can it be? At school, all the teachers turn on the news, which is reporting a strange new tower that appeared in town– overnight. People start reacting strangely to the news, even right there in class. That evening, Kaitlin’s father is… different. 

Commentary

This is a really low budget short that tells a good story with very little explanation or special effects at all. There’s a building, and then there are the reactions to the building. At the end, we don’t get any real answers as to what it is, but we know it’s not good. 

Very nice!

2025 Social Media Presence

• Directed by: Paul Davis
• Written by: Paul Davis
• Stars:  Natalie Clark, Amanda Greig, A.J. Moorehead
• Run Time: 10:30
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkX98mihXZs

What Happens

We watch Katie, and influence, go about her day photographing, commenting, tagging everything she does on her phone. One day, she gets a new follower, an account that only follows her. Then the gifts start arriving… at home. 

Commentary

This should be a public service video about turning your location services off. It’s really well done. I don’t remember any dialogue, just comments and such on the Instagram posts. We’re pretty clear all along about what’s going on, but poor Katie is the last to know. 

It looks great, well shot, well paced, and the acting is excellent. 

2023 The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly

• Directed by: Jillian Terwedo-Malsbury
• Written by: Rob Knoll, Annie McGrath
• Stars:  David J. Castillo, Elester Latham
• Run Time: 8:34
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SToflSAOxw

What Happens

Doug has put a lot of time into the jack-o-lantern this Halloween, and it looks great. Whoops– it fell off the window ledge, 29 flights up. He looks out the window, and it looks like he may have killed a man down there. It’s a very long ride down in the elevator to find out what happened. 

Commentary

This is really great. Doug goes from happy, to terrified, to relieved, to terrified again, and he’s very convincing. All the weirdos head to and from the Halloween party are especially good. The ending… is maybe not what he deserved, but it’s hilarious. 

2023 Robbie Ain’t Right No More

• Directed by: Kyle Perritt
• Writer: Kyle Perritt
• Stars: Madeleine McGraw, Jadon Cal, Jason Davis
• Run Time: 18 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S4zX-l6UD4

What Happens

The family has a get-together for Robbie, who’s just home from the war. Vern the father, warns young Sarah that Robbie saw some action over there, and he just isn’t like he used to be. They all sit down for dinner, and the conversation goes awkwardly. What exactly happened to Robbie over there? It’s not what everyone assumes. 

Commentary

This is good. It’s very dark toward the end, but we see enough to know what’s happening. The family dinner seems very realistic; we’ve all got one relative who doesn’t know when to shut up when things get tense. 

I liked this one a lot

2022 Every Time We Meet for Ice Cream Your Whole F*cking Face Explodes

• Directed by: Anthony Cousins
• Written by: Anthony Cousins, Carlton Mellick III
• Stars: Arden Michalec, Logan Schuneman, Alexander Michuda
• Run Time: 7 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orfDpGNh_kc

What Happens

A boy on the schoolbus gets bullied regularly, at least until a new, funny-looking girl arrives in town. He wants to be friends and asks her out for ice cream. Their first date goes… strangely. He’s not deterred, however.

Could this be a lasting relationship?

Commentary

The is really cool. It’s retro without getting crazy about it, the bullying seems to be at a realistic level, and the two main characters act believably, except for that one small issue. 

It looks really nice, the acting is perfect, and it’s got a fun resolution. Excellent!

2024 The Worm

• Directed by: Andy Coyle
• Stars: Animated, Erin Scott (voice)
• Run Time: 15 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m65s3ZzyRN0

What Happens

In this animated short, young Sparrow is working in the garage until she hears a monster outside. Or is it outside? Soon, she winds up in a mental institution under the care of a psychologist who becomes obsessed with her case. Just how insane is Sparrow, and is she insane at all? What is “the worm?”

Commentary

The art style is crisp and looks good, although the movement shots are somewhat limited. The story moves along at a nice pace and doesn’t get bogged down with explanations. It’s all clear what’s going on in the end, and it all makes sense. Nice!

2025 The Envelope

• Directed by: Michael Eggler
• Written by: Michael Eggler
• Stars:  Leonora Hammer, Patric Graf
• Run Time: 4 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5MVgk0vPDs

What Happens

We open on a woman shuffling tarot cards, surrounded by candles. “Is Alan still alive?” She doesn’t like what the cars show her. Emma hears something outside and then finds an envelope addressed to her. “I am here.”

That’s only the start of Emma’s troubles. 

Commentary

It’s very dark, and the actress’s accent is pretty thick. Also, there’s a time skip for no particular reason. Still, there are some nice shots here, and it is a very small production, so I’d have to say it’s pretty good considering the small number of people involved. 

2018 Sybil

• Directed by: Joanne Mitchell
• Written by: Joanne Mitchell, Tracey Sheals
• Stars:  Tracey Sheals, Seamus O’Neill, Garth Maunders, Joanne Mitchell
• Run Time: 12 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lKdgO3eID0

What Happens

Sybil is the assistant mortician, working for old Mr. Sniffles (could that be a better name for a mortician?). He gets worn out after working on a particularly mutilated body and tells Sybil to stay late and finish up. He also tells her to do something fun tonight. 

She… does. 

Commentary

This is pretty awesome. We know what’s going on at all times, and there’s a fun payoff at the end. It’s well shot, the gore is good, and the situation is both horrifying and hilarious. The little dog at the end is a nice touch as well– maybe this isn’t even her first time doing this. 

Very good!

2023 My Scary Indian Wedding

• Directed by: Ramone Menon
• Written by: Ramone Menon
• Stars:  Misha Molani, Patrick Rutnam, Lexa Gluck
• Run Time: 12 Minutes
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TzKmgJrkj4

What Happens

It’s the night of Vikram and Mila’s wedding, and it looks like things went badly. Credits roll, and then we flash back to what happened. 

Mila explains to her friend Asha that Mangliks are demons who unleash a curse on unmarried women born with a fault in their stars. The cursed woman will die if she doesn’t find her soulmate. Asha whines that she probably has one, and Mila asks if she wants to find out.

Asha uses a website to find out, and according to her stars, she does have one…

Commentary

I really like the way the “telephone effects” are done here. We’ve seen it before, but it really stands out with this one. I want to find a website that explains all these rituals; that’d be cool. You just gotta follow the rules! I guess this is the Indian equivalent of a “shotgun wedding.”

It looks really good, the effects are fantastic, and it’s also very suspenseful.