Short Review: The Thinning Veil (2019) by MJ Dixon


They say that on Halloween, the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest and that if you try hard enough you can speak to the dead. But Roberta should be careful that the dead don't want to speak back. Meet the Mysterious Madam Brenda as she shows Roberta just how dangerous the Thinning Veil can be.

There's quite a lot to like with this one. The fact that it plays rather strongly with the pagan beliefs and rituals about the connection between Samhain and how it connects to the ability of the dead to communicate with our world gives this a fantastic starting point. Using this setup to engage in a battle of wits over the two involving the past coming back to confront the girl creates a rather creepy atmosphere as the cards begin fulfilling the past about her.

As well, the inclusion of a stellar jump-scare, an ominous mood in the house that something is off about the visit and an outstanding seasonal atmosphere with the continuous sounds of joyous children trick-or-treating in the background complete the picture and set this up with a generally enjoyable presentation. The resolution to her fate, while obvious, being off-screen is a bit of a cheat though, yet this is the only slight factor against this short considering how much fun the rest of this is.

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