Salem Horror Fest 2021 Wicked Shorts 1

 Salem Horror Fest Short program #1 - I love shorts and although all the shorts in the program are not necessarily brand new the collection is really well curated and was quite thought provoking and enjoyable.  Trying to be spoiler free ion shorts is somewhat difficult but I will give it a try. I will give the description provided by the fest and then whatever thoughts  have on the content again trying to be some what spoiler free. I missed a couple in this first screening with traffic delaying my arrival but I have another opportunity to fill in the ones I missed next week.

Marked (2021) by Matthew Avery Berg - A tattoo artist is forced to confront his past when a client knows what his tattoos really mean. This short was not my cup of tea but still so professionally put together about a tattoo artist whose ink is recognized by his client. An interesting story about the meaning of tattoos in the Russian mob it is a revenge story at its heart. Cruel and unforgiving like it’s subject it was a solid entry at the Salem Horror fest shorts program.

DYSTOPIA (2020) - Directed by Laura Ugolini Forget reality shows and Instagram beauties; a young girl's fantasy becomes the playground for a gang of women set to create the perfect man, one limb at a time.  Teaser for the short   I reserve the right to change this as the setting made it difficult to read the subtitles. A weird little play in a child’s imagination it speaks to how children are programmed to the need to be beautiful and roles in searching for the perfect man, the shocking lengths that the characters in that fantasy go to make that happen.

Don't Text back (2020) -Directors - Kaye Adelaide & Mariel Sharp  A woman seeks the help of an energy healer to rid herself of a cursed necklace that strangles her every time she doesn’t text back her bad Tinder date. Wonderfully amusing, as it pokes fun at new age healing while still addressing the very disturbing issues around tinder stalking. When a  energy healer helps a woman with a unique problem they both benefit from the outcome. Humor and a serious cursed necklace equals a fun little short without glossing over the dangers of stalking.  Teaser Here

Logan Lee & the Rise of the Purple Dawn (2019) -  Directed by Raymond C. Lai - DJ Logan will play today at the party of Beatrice Pan, a friend with whom he is in love. To reassure himself, he smokes potent marijuana. - This short was weird and wild with a original structure and cool ideas along the lines of They Live but instead of sun glasses you need to get high on Purple Dawn. Starring actor Osric Chau who I know from his role as Kevin Tran on the show Supernatural I really liked this short. His quest to save the girl he longs for from the energy sucking cyborgs was very cool.

Sundown Town (2021) - Directed by Milo Butler, Bryce & Mitchell's trip home is disrupted after making a pit stop in a mysteriously unwelcoming town. This short plays sort of like the episode of Lovecraft Country where they had to be out of the all white county before dark, but with a queer twist to add to the racist one of that show. Being a short the violence is less big budget but still personal and effective.

Bed (2020) by Emily Bennett  - Bed is going to get a higher rating from me because it is an excellent portrayal of the effect of sexual violence and the lingering trauma associated with it. It is a sad and serious watch but really well done. The short is a woman in her bedroom not being able to use it to sleep. Through her hallucinations and flashbacks we learn just what happened to her. Very well written and executed.

Miss Blueberry Beauty Pageant (2020) - Directed Sarah Kennedy  Welcome to the 1984 Miss Blueberry Beauty Pageant! Where the girls are a feast for the eyes and as sweet as honey. Follow these three finalists as they navigate the twists and turns of a pageant that reveals a much more sinister secret. This short was so much fun. Funny and ridiculous with the right mount of hamming, it follows the last three contestants in a pageant that has an unexpected outcome.

Verified (2020) - by Ali Chappell  A lonely but hopeful insta-influence gets bit by a zombie while live-streaming and finally gets the audience she craves... but at what cost?  So much satire and humor wrapped up into a topic, influencers wanting to be verified accounts, that this one oozes fun.  Nice effects and a really well thought out horror bit made this very enjoyable.

No Game Like Foxes (2020) - by Raphael Arkera  A man finds himself being stalked by a relentless killer, in a deadly game where humans are hunted for sport.  Now this is a short I did not really connect with trying hard to find a logic that did not really make sense to me. Maybe I was over thinking it but I struggled with the "whys" in this short. Well made but I just didn't quite grasp the meanings. The masks were cool.