Indie filmmaker Peter Dukes has built himeslf quite a treasure trove of short films. As a horror fan, I chose to watch The Beast first. The Beast is an awarad winning horror short that is a throwback to old fashioned horror. Three men go into the woods on the night of a full moon. One of these men is a werewolf and the other two men have completely different ideas of how he should be dealt with. Despite it’s small budget, The Beast is a beautifully shot film with an outstanding music score. The music consistently sets the correct tone for the story as it moves along. All of the actors are perfection and in a mere 10 minutes, you become invested in them and their ultimate fates. The Beast is simply a delightful, little morsel of horror.
Have you noticed that Horror and Comedy are always dancing around one another? When done correctly, it is a treat. Of course, when it’s done poorly, it feels like torture. Little Reaper is not a horror short, but a comedy short that happens to be about the Grim Reaper and his discipline challenged daughter. The daughter in question has decided that reaping souls is boring and all of the cool girls are Banshees. Having been born a Reaper and not a Banshee, her father insists that she spend a day doing his job for a day. Well, like any teenage girl, her phone is a million times more important than the insanity that is being caused by her lack of work ethic. It is really very funny to see the Grim Reaper be reduced to the inhumanity of trying to negotiate with a teen girl. The result of her inaction is a fun and gory treat; truly, the last few minutes of the film are a wonderful nod to a well beloved black and white horror film.
In A Goblin’s Tale, we are treated to a very clever and unique story. The film looks and feels like a warm cozy blanket on a cold evening. When a young woman reads one of her well loved childhood story books, she ends up coming face to face with a character from the book. Flix, the goblin, is perfection. The accent, the mannerisms, the wardrobe and especialy the makeup are amazing. Really, it is stunning. Though filmed in what looks to be a trailer, the film manages to exist in our world and the storybook world. It would be a shame to spoil the ending, but as someone who still feels bad about boxing up her childhood stuffed animals, the ending was clever and strangely bittersweet.
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