One of my favorite covers from my favorite horror comic.
Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians recorded the song “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream” back in 1927. Hard to believe that it would have such a lasting effect on yours truly. Not that I was there in 1927, but I have heard the song often.
So, here we go again. Another group of horror shorts, with accents of humor, pathos, before-their-time special effects and a surprise at the end. One or two of these you have likely already seen, but most will be new for you.
I hope that you are out there looking around for yourself, finding new and different cinematic experiences.
Let’s begin with…
The Insane
Police Detective Jon Vincent’s wife and child have been brutally murdered by monsters that he only seems to be able to see. He now wanders the streets, killing every monster he finds. And, he finds many of them. An excellent short from the UK from 2006, written and directed by Mark Cripps and David Ellison. The two released a feature in 2012. I wish they would do more shorts.
I’m Not Jessica
A demon arrives at the house, looking for its rightful prey, namely, the soul of Jessica! But, there seems to be a problem. This 2013 horror/comedy short is courtesy of Randy Granstrom, who not only wrote and directed it, but acted in it as well. A seeming Renaissance Man, he had a small role in Bruce Campbell’s “My Name is Bruce.”
Interview with a Zombie
I don’t want to say too much about this. It is a lovely four-minute horror/documentary, from 2012, from the US, directed by Chris O’Neill and Jorge Enrique Ponce. This is one of the most insightful zombie films you will find.
The Invisible Thief
Once more, we visit France in 1909 and see what Segundo de Chomon has up his creative sleeve. This time, a pickpocket finds a potion that makes him the best thief there is. More comedic than horrific, this could be looked upon as an attempt to use the ideas set down by H.G. Wells in “The Invisible Man”, which was written in 1897.
The Insect’s Christmas
After a trip to early France, what could be more fun that a trip north, to 1913 Russia and the creative stop-motion world of insects, brought to you by Wladyslaw Starewizc. Few at the time had the eye for detail that he had. Even bugs celebrate the holidays!
The Image
Well, I was going to stop here, then the death of David Bowie caused a renewed interest in the short film that was his first screen appearance. “The Image” tells the tale of a struggling artist who’s subject in his painting comes to life to push him over the brink into madness. Made in 1969, it is one of the few short films to get an “X” rating by the British Censors. Most horror movies in Britain receive an “X” rating.
As usual, the credit for the films goes to YouTube and Vimeo. Please tune in to them. They really have a lot to offer. Lots of the info comes from the consummate professionals at IMDB, without whom I would often be lost! Also thank you to Wikipedia for the info in H.G. Wells.
