Mystery Horror Theater with Leify Dubs, Ep. II
Our beloved former President has handed me, the OTHER bear that writes for this site, the reins for this installment of Mystery Horror Theater, and boy do I have some treats for you. Wow, that sounded like something a guy in a white van would say. Uh, anyway…ONWARD!
Lights Out
Let’s start with the shortest of our offerings today. While it clocks in just under three minutes, don’t let it’s brevity fool you: it’s quite the effective spine tingler. Lights Out plays on everyone’s childhood fear of the dark and tries pretty damn hard to give you an adult fear of it. There’s some very good shadow and silhouette trickery that helps create a lot of tension in a minimalist way, which pays off brilliantly at the very end. I may have done a double take at my nightstand the night after viewing (not really though cuz I’m tuff n’stuff).
Don’t Move
Don’t Move, frankly, has an excellent concept. A few friends get together for a regular game night and wind up messing around with a ouija board and summoning UNSPEAKABLE EVIL. I know you’re saying to yourself “I thought you said it had an excellent concept, not the plot of Ouija.” Well, fuck you, let me finish before you get all judge-y. The evil spirit summoned by our misguided bloodbags must kill five of the six, but can only sense them if they move. It’s a great mechanic that turns simple things like talking into very tense situations. Bonus points for great demon design.
Hennes Svarta Vingar
This one is more of a mid length than a short (it weighs in at close to half an hour) but it’s so good I have to tell you about it. The tale begins with man living on his own in a secluded cabin who discovers a beautiful young woman lying naked and unconscious on his property. The man quickly takes her into his place to make sure she’s okay and nurse her back to health. Things very quickly start veering into strange territory as he discovers very large, wing like scars on her back. She may also start feasting on the neck flesh of a recently decapitated lamb. Story isn’t it’s only strong suit though, as this is a beautifully shot film with some solid effect work. Filmmaker Martin Ahlin does a terrific job all around. Expect to see his name brought up here again.
That’s all for now! Do you have any horror favorites? Will you be using your night light tonight? Tell me in the comments!
