The short is a fun watch. Adult children go home to split inheritance and the middle-child goes bonkers starts killing everyone.
The film is not listed on imdb, but I will provide a link.
The middle child daughter is arguing with her older brother who wants his new wife to get a share of the inheritance. However, this really doesn’t happen because you have to follow the will and unless the brother’s wife were listed to inherit, she’s not getting anything. However, the movie has to happen; so, let’s ignore that.
There is a beginning, middle, and an end. The film has a strong pacific northwest vibe. It is over the top and fun because of it. If you can get past the legal fiction related to the inheritance and I am assuming that you likely don’t care, this short will thoroughly entertain.
I can’t believe that Horrorthon is half over! I’m having A LOT of fun this year with it. “Finley” has been on my “To Review” list for a long time, but I was apprehensive because it was 25 minutes long, which made me wonder if it really was a short film? Is a failed feature? I think it could’ve been a feature length film…. maybe. The premise doesn’t fully lend itself to a feature length horror comedy. However, there could’ve been a pretty funny montage of Finley training….. I will explain.
Three friends Jennifer, Alexandra, and Chris rent or buy a house together in the exurbs. Chris and Jennifer are a typical post-college couple sort of grown up and Alexandra is the sensible brunette. They venture up to the attic and find a coffin with the eponymous Finley chained and gagged. At night, Finley begins stalking them, but he’s terrible at his job. Is Finley a psychopathic possessed doll? Yes. Does he have an affection for Chris’ tuxedo cat? Yes. Can Finley kill…he tries, but he sucks at it….repeatedly. He tries to electrocute Jennifer by throwing a toaster into her bath, but he forgets to plug it in. Finley tries and tries to kill, but only succeeds in annoying them to the point that they spray him with a water bottle like he’s a destructive house cat.
We enter a mini-third act with two would-be rapist home invader/cat killers breaking into their home and tying up Jennifer, Alexandra, and Chris. When the home invaders try to hurt the cat, Finley snaps and goes full – successful – psycho! Of course, Finley’s new found murder skill has mixed results for Jennifer, Alexandra, and Chris.
I highly recommend this short. However, this is bittersweet because as good as the short was, the cast, writer, and director did not take off in a huge way. It really bothers me when there are really talented people who don’t get the traction they deserved. I hope that they reunite and something big happens for all of them.
Once again, I have been thwarted from putting a title card from IMDB in my post. In this case, I think they are kind of shy. I was not even able to provide a link. It’s called The Killer and it was created by OTP_tv.
The premise is what if a killer really needs to go to the bathroom after the murder? Funny things happen – that’s what! I would almost describe this short as pure comedy, until the end. I was the first person to watch the short because it dropped today and I coincidentally was around at the time. The short is simple and does not try to be too many things, but it does achieve humor and that’s a good thing.
The short begins with a couple bantering about wine and poo….as you do. Then, it appears the wife is bothered by the joke. The husband is stabbed in the bathroom and hilarity ensues. This is a fun short and does not take itself too seriously. If you have 3 or 4 minutes to spare, let it be The Killer.
I reached out to the creators on YouTube and if they get back to me, I will update the review with additional details.
I was unable to find anything on IMDB for this film; so, I used this photo from a previous review where it looked like they were going for a Santa Pedo vibe. Read that review below:
Unidentified is about an ordinary guy who sees an alien invasion. This concept is so overdone that it is really its own subgenre of suckiness. Some random schmoe sees aliens and is unable to do anything about it accept die?! Mr. Filmmaker of Unidentified, why you are bothering me this garbage? Who cares?!
Hear me, it’s one thing if the ordinary person is heroic or we are setting up the story or he causes a resolution, but when it’s just some doofus driving around for 60% of the short, you are wasting my time! Mr. Filmmaker of Unidentified, I understand that creating a story is hard like how you must be always confused when you try to get the mail or turn on your phone, but that doesn’t mean you should pursue the art of film. Instead of making these terrible shorts that lack even a basic story let alone an ending, how about working on a simplistic craft? I’ll even consider putting it on my fridge! Really, my fridge has some prime real estate on it: magnets, shopping list sticky notes, and stains if it’s my housecleaning day.
If this terrible film did pique your interest…..somehow, the story is a British man in a sedan who drives for several minutes and sees a big monster- yep, that’s it. UGHHH. Maybe Alex Magana has a British cousin?
For a little bit of historical perspective, Charles Bronson was an up and coming young character actor when he appeared in the 25th episode of season 1 of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, “There Was an Old Woman,” which originally aired March 18, 1956. Having already shared the screen with the likes of Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster, Bronson had an interesting face that would allow him to comfortably play a wide range of roles in 1950’s Hollywood, from Native Americans (DRUM BEAT and APACHE), murderous criminals (CRIME WAVE and BIG HOUSE USA), compassionate doctors (the TV series MEDIC), and even deaf mutes (HOUSE OF WAX). In the mid-1950’s, Bronson was alternating between character parts on the big screen and guest starring roles on the small screen. For someone like me, it’s fun looking back at these early years and roles when Bronson was a hungry, young actor just trying to keep working. Not blessed with matinee idol looks, he attacked his roles with a gusto that, with the benefit of hindsight, would form a foundation that would eventually lead to him becoming the most popular actor in the world a decade later.
In “There Was an old Woman,” down-on-their-luck married couple, Frank Bramwell (Charles Bronson) and Lorna Bramwell (Norma Crane), are desperate for cash. While finishing off their breakfast at the local cafe, they overhear a private conversation between a milkman and the counter guy concerning the vast wealth of a local old woman named Monica Laughton (Estelle Winwood), an eccentric widow who lives alone in a grand, outdated Victorian house. The Bramwell’s think they’ve won the lottery and soon they’ve hatched a scheme to work their way into Mrs. Laughton’s home in hopes of relieving her of all that money. Once inside her home, the young couple gets much more than they bargained for when they discover that the kind and proper old woman lives in a fantasy world of imaginary people, imaginary dinner parties, and imaginary funerals. They play along with her delusions for a while and set about looking for the money, but when they can’t find it, Frank pulls out his knife and threatens to kill Mrs. Laughton and all her “guests” if she doesn’t give them her money. Needless to say, Mrs. Laughton may be nutty, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve and the Bramwell’s just may be on their way to being permanent guests!
If you enjoy entertainment that features black comedy, ironic twists of fate, and deadly danger in the most unexpected of places, you’ll enjoy this macabre gem of an episode. “There Was an Old Woman” sets the Bramwell’s up to think that they’re the ones in charge, until it’s revealed in an instant that they are in way over their head with the eccentric Mrs. Laughton. Bronson and Norma Crane are good as the married couple with bad intentions. I guess it would be more accurate to say that Bronson’s character has the bad intentions while Norma’s character just seems to have picked the wrong man. Bronson is in his amoral, bully-thug mode here, a type of role he played very well in the early years of his career. I thought Norma Crane projected a sort of innocent sweetness, and I felt sorry for her as events spiraled out of control. But the real star of the episode is Estelle Winwood as the delusional “old woman” of the title. She steals the show as Monica Laughton, delivering a fun and deceptively cunning performance as the grande dame who’s much more aware of the dangers around her than she lets on. She may be eccentric, but she’s nobody’s fool. Estelle Winwood is perfect in the role, a testament to a woman who was 73 years old when this episode aired and who would go on to work for over 20 more years, with her final role on an episode of the TV series QUINCY, M.E. that aired in 1980. One of the joys of watching older TV shows and movies is discovering more about some of these talented actors and actresses who starred in them. Winwood had an incredible, five decade career, and she would pass away in 1984 at 101 years of age.
Overall, I recommend “There Was an Old Woman” to any person who appreciates Alfred Hitchcock, vintage TV, black comedy, Charles Bronson, Norma Crane, and Estelle Winwood. It’s interesting and fun stuff!
This is fun!!! Technically, this short film does not have an actual story, BUT it is still a well done and fun short film. But Case, you’re so hard on everyone and this year you’re being so lenient! Fair critique, but I argue that this is within the parody genre and is exempt from my usual rules. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was one of the first films to do a feature length send up of many different movies and this short is in that vibe.
They go through the tropes: they stop at an abandoned cabin and say – F THAT!, a cop who WAITS for backup, and a boy who finds the Hellraiser puzzle and just plays with his iPhone instead and then does something hilarious to the box. If you want a quick laugh when you’re in line or anything other time you have about 3 minutes to kill, it is great choice. Life can be challenging and good laugh is better than a good cry.
A girl and her gay friend are watching cheesy scary movies together. He reminded me of my sister’s gay best friend in college. It’ll be difficult for me to hate this because of pleasant nostalgia; so again, my fingers are crossed.
They get a threatening phone call and run panicked through the house. They hide in the bathroom tub and begin confessing the worst things that they did to each other. Then, it turns out they were not being stalked. What worked? I liked the camera work. The plot was good and it had a clear storyline and resolution. It’s not the greatest short that I have ever seen, but it was entertaining. What didn’t work? I didn’t get the costume change at the end, but it was … fine. See it below!
This film was not in IMDB. I could not find the actresses or director on imdb. Unless it’s just a series of slurs, I’m going to pretty lenient and hopeful. The filmmaker has no subscribers and is doing this for the love of the art. My fingers are crossed! A single mom and her friend are unlucky in love and have a budding romance. During their mundane conversation, the mother’s daughter is screaming like a demon. There are a number of signs of evil presence. Since there was not a conclusion, I believe that this short was a pitch for funding for a feature length film. When Hulu makes a faux short film, it’s very annoying, but Stacey Ellis is trying hard to get her art off of the ground and I wish her the best. Yes, I’ve gone soft.
It is fun to review a Chris McInroy short film. They are great horror comedy with copious gore. The actors are obviously friends of his that know how to deliver a joke. Chris also knows how to use a brief silence for a bigger laugh. He’s the Anti-Alex Magana. If you watch more than two Alex Magana films in one sitting, you wonder if humankind should really keep going. Whereas, these are a pleasure to watch and review. Side note the amount of blood and gore are Sam Raimi levels.
Two bros are meeting a fellow bro for kickball, but their comrade has joined a satanic cult. Here’s the twist, all of the cultist are terrible at their job. What is refreshing is that there are no Mary Sues or Mike Sues- EVERYONE in this cult is a moron! Black, white, asian, libertarian, or vegetarian ALL are equally stupid and it is hilarious! There is a kickball decapitation that is priceless! I highly recommend this short!
This is an example of a perfect short film! Sometimes life is just awful and you find that Hell has sub-basements. I am currently in the next to last sub-basement; yes, it really is that bad. At times like that, Richard Morgan, the author of Altered Carbon wrote “You take what’s offered….sometimes you just need to get to the next screen.” Working with Jigsaw was one of those moments for me. It was funny enough to make my brain take a brief break and allow me to laugh. Trust me, if a film is funny enough to make me laugh at this time in my life, you might literally pee your pants or poo or pee/poo them. What I am trying say is that you should wear your peeing yourself pants while watching this and then shower- Don’t be gross!
Thanks Al
The plot is right in the title and you get what you were promised. You know you have something special when the writer and director know that 3 minutes and 43 seconds is actually longer that you think. Why is that important? It is critical to have the time awareness because it frees the short film director to use silence to set up a reaction. In this film, the silences set up the punchlines, but it a straight horror short it allows for suspense, payoff, and even to have a moment to care about the characters. Most of the shorts I watch are either pitches in disguise or worse they don’t use their time wisely to make you care that the characters are in peril.
Working with Jigsaw pulls together the concept of a malevolent force being awful at work. Jigsaw is constantly interfering with people’s work to make them play his non-lethal but horribly annoying games. The HR scene at the end is film gold!
I really can’t say enough nice things about this short. Both writers got jobs working for Jimmy Kimmel after this short, which fills with rare joy! I hope they continue to make short films and feature length comedies- they are truly gifted artists!
Through the Shattered Lens 