Drum Wave-
Traveling to a family reunion, a woman meeting her husbands' family finds a family tradition a bit too disturbing.
This one seems quite intriguing on the first watch. The unfamiliar location and uncomfortable nature of being around so many people in a situation like this of meeting a new family which really does bring about genuine unease when mixed together with the constant visions of the masked figures. However, with no real horror aspects to speak of beyond the unease, this is quite a curious if well-designed effort.
The Boogeywoman-
While at a roller-rink with her friends, a young teen’s embarrassment over her first period soon gives way to terror when a local urban legend proves true.
For the most part, there was quite a lot to like here. The innocence of the initial incident in the bathroom and the ensuing meetup on the dance floor quickly turns sour by uttering the urban legend and its ties to the events at hand. That adds some enjoyment into the latter half where it starts to get somewhat chilling and tense with the walk home and confronting the creature. Despite the insistence on shoehorning a horror twist at the end, this has to be inferred with the lack of clear dialog to resolve everything but overall it’s not a detriment due to the rest of the short holding it up.
The Doula-
A well-heeled Brooklyn couple expecting their first baby places their trust in a well-respected doula with sinister motives.
This short would be been fine had their been more intent behind the purpose here. So much time is spent on pre-birth methods of behavior that it's half-over before something happens, which is entirely too predictable and loses a lot of the punch without having her on-screen, to fill in what's going on. The visuals and the brutality as well as the emotional devastation at what's going on serve this well, though, and raises this one pretty nicely.
Always Going, Never Gone-
A woman looks into her family's connections to a strange, vengeful figure of folklore from her aging grandmother.
Overall, this was quite enjoyable and had a lot to like. The old-school suspense, from the related stories about the vengeful being to go the eerie shots of someone walking through the dark with a lantern amidst howling wind and animal cries created a fantastic suspenseful atmosphere. The ending is creepy and chilling as well, setting itself up as a potential prologue for a feature-length adaptation.
Hunting Season-
A small-town gas station attendant has an unexpected encounter which will change the course of her life forever.
Overall, this one was slightly disappointing even with some fantastic elements. The atmosphere here is incredible with the rundown location out on the outskirts of town that looks to be on the verge of breaking down manages to be pretty chilling especially with the stories about what's going on around them through radio updates creates even more tension. The final reveal works nicely but the ambiguity of just leaving things as they are could be a bit of a cheat for those wanting closure even though this isn't truly detrimental at all.
Xiomara-
Meeting up with a friend from online, a woman brings a guy to visit which has grave consequences for them both.
There wasn't a whole lot to this one. Based entirely on the two of them sitting around the couch talking rather than actually doing anything to play off the legend tied to the whole short. While these scenes are atmospheric, tense and well-executed here that it pops up out of nowhere due to that build-up, and the whole idea of playing off why this concept is so scary with a scrolling text to explain everything at the very end comes off somewhat as a cheat.
Vinegar Baths-
A tired and overworked nurse at the maternity ward finds joy when she is alone roaming the hospital corridors at night.
This was a wholly enjoyable and creepy segment. The idea of taking the folklore creature into a more modern setting within the hospital where the normality of her day-to-day duties helps hide her secret and lets this one play up incredibly well to the final reveal. As the early hints with the neck cracking and bathing in a tub of vinegar help to further that reveal, and all combined together with the body-horror aesthetic creates a lot to enjoy.
This overview ran as part of our remote coverage of the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival. Click the banner below to check out our coverage of the event:
As well, this ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebration. Click the banner below to see all the reviews and interviews we've conducted for the event:
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