#7 - The Witching Season (2015-2017)
(dir. James Morris, Michael Ballif)
This is a collection of five horror stories, all set on Halloween. I didn't realize until after starting it that it was actually five separate shorts instead of a true anthology film, but they are all from the same writer(s)/director(s), add up to feature length, and even reference each other a bit, so it doesn't seem like an important distinction to make.
The segments vary in length, ranging from 30 minutes or so to less than 10. The shorter ones are little more than a simple creepy idea without much plot (an alien abduction, a creepy figure outside the window), but for what they are they work pretty well. The longest, They Live Inside Us, is the most complex and even has some mini-segments within it. It is probably the best of the bunch in terms of quality, but I actually liked the first one the best, a short slasher called Killer on the Loose that is a simple idea executed really well.
These are indie horror films without (I'm assuming) much in the way of budgets, but other than some occasionally mediocre acting you'd never know it. The production values are high throughout, and I think that both directors, Ballif especially, could really do some great things with a feature film. I hope they get to work on one soon.
The shorts are all available on the Witching Season Film's YouTube page, so if you're interested you can watch them there. If you are only going to watch one, I recommend Killer on the Loose, but I think they are all worth your time.
Comments
Post a Comment