Sinister Flesh (1976)

3.5 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Stanley Sheff
Written by: Stanley Sheff
Actors include: S.D. Nemeth, Tomme Arnold, Riki Marcelli
Genre: Horror, Short, Comedy
Length: 27 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a very strange little short film from the '70s filmed in the style of the silent horror pictures of the '20s. It even says at the beginning that the director didn't believe in talking in film, but the thing is, the schtick works. It's filmed in black and that sort of yellowish tinge they occasionally would use, and the monsters and the behavior of the characters is very in tune with the classics as well. What makes this different is that it's very much a comedy, much of it is plain silly and some of the jokes fall flat. Still I couldn't help but snicker a few times, and considering it's only a 25 minute film it does have a fair bit to offer. It's the story of Dr. Ogo Moto who is seeking immoratality by conducting strange experiments along with his friend Zit, The Hunchback. They kidnap Women, then hook them into a crazy machine and well usually things go wrong, until of course they don't. It's not bloody, it's not scary, but the atmosphere is right and it's a decent throwback picture.

Availability:  Apparently this film was once thought to be lost, but you can watch it here: http://vids.myspace.com/in...mp;videoid=3111

The Frog, The Dog, and the Devil (1986)

 4 / 5  Jun '11 
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Bob Stenhouse
Written by:  Bob Stenhouse
Actors include:  N/A
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Western, Animation, Short
Length:  8 minutes
Banned:  Nope





 

Review:
This is quite visually stunning, the style of animation and the horror inspired touches really make this a goodie.  This flick came from New Zealand, and in 1986 it was even nominated for an Oscar for best short picture.  It shows a Man who tricks a Barkeep out of a bottle of booze, then starts hallucinating things almost like he's haunted or something.  It's very surreal yet there is so much going on that it's incredibly easy to digest.  Quite an unusual treat, it's very whimsical and imaginative ode to drunkards. 

Availability:  I don't believe it's on DVD but watch it here:

Boo (1932)

 3.5 / 5  Jun '11 
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Albert DeMond
Written by:  Albert DeMond
Actors include:  Morton Lowry
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Short
Length:  10 minutes
Banned:  Nope





 
Review:
This is a rather cute little mash up of the current films that were popular at the time.  Expect scenes from Frankenstein, Nosferatu, and intriguingly the only surviving footage from a lost film called The Cat Creeps (okay well the sound reels only exist at this point).  Over top of the remix we have a narrator mocking the scenarios and throwing out cheap jokes (most of which work, some of which don't).  It's as cheesy as they come, but luckily I have an healthy appreciation for cheese.  It weighs in at around ten minutes which is perfect because it starts to run out of steam towards the end.  Still worthy of a gander for genre fan, thanks so much to my pal Happywax (Doomgoryums Horror Emporium) for mentioning this one to me!

 Availability:  I don't believe it's on DVD but watch it here:

Night Of The Living Bread (1990)

4 / 5  Jun '11
Tagline: The Bread Still Rises!
Directed by:  Kevin S. O'Brien
Written by:  Kevin S. O'Brien
Actors include:  Vince Ware, Katie Harris, Robert J. Saunders
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Short
Length:  8 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

As soon as I read the title I though "gee this is going to be absolutely stupid", and I was right but it's gloriously stupid.  I really was surprised how funny they could make this considering yes...no tricks, it's Night of the Living Dead crammed into eight minutes with bread.  An explosion at a bakery causes bread to attack people and a small group of people have gathered at an abandoned farm house for refuge.  They were rather clever in choosing which scenes to reenact, and the way they went about most scenes was pretty wise as well.  It just looks like they must have had a ton of fun making it, and heck I had a ton of fun watching it, perhaps you should too!

Availability:  It's available as a bonus feature on a version of Night of the Living Dead, or watch it here:

The Contraption (1977)

4 / 5  Jun '11
Tagline:  James Dearden
Written by:  James Dearden
Actors include:  Richard O'Brien, Charlotte Cornwell
Genre:  Horror, Short, Mystery
Length:  8 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

Such strange little short film, I can honestly say I've seen nothing like it before and that's too bad really.  It's so simple yet so entertaining, it's definitely memorable as well.  It starts out like a Home Improvement show as watch a man maniacally build....yes a contraption.  We don't know what it is until of course it's used so hang in there (it's only 8 minutes c'mon here).  It's actually silent barring one line of dialogue at the end, but it doesn't need words.  Not much I can say without giving anything away so just watch it here and be amused: 

Availability:  I don't believe it's on DVD

Le Spectre Rouge (1907) aka The Red Spectre

4.5 / 5  Jun '11
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Segundo de Chomón, Ferdinand Zecca
Written by:  Segundo de Chomón
Actors include:  N/A
Genre:  Horror, Short, Fantasy
Length:  9 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:  
I can't say how impressed I am with this short French film, it's insanely pretty and engrossing.  The red tint to the film just emits such a fantastic atmosphere, and the amount of detail put into this is impressive.  The film is so well reserved, it's remarkable not to mention the fact that it's nearly nonstop filled with tricks (even if they are rather obvious remember this was 1907!) and flashes of fire.  The plot is about a coffin that sinks into the bowels of earth which contains a Demon Magician (that looks like a horned skeleton).  Out comes the Demon and we watch him perform a few tricks.  He then takes two girls, wrap them in tarps, causes them to levitate and lights them on fire!  Later a Good Spirit shows up to oppose this action and to try to stop the Demon.  It's only a little over nine minutes long and it's available here on youtube to watch.  I highly suggest you hit "play" on this one.

Availability:  I don't believe it's on DVD

Dracula Bites The Big Apple (1979)

4 / 5 June '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Richard Wenk
Written by: Fred Olsen
Actors include: Barry Gomolka, Peter Loewy, Steve Rubell
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Musical, Short
Length: 22 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is admittedly very campy and silly but with a musical/disco themed Dracula short film in New York from the '70s...what the heck do you expect? Dracula runs out of blood in Transylvannia, so he and Renfield (who looks spun out on something) pack in the coffin and take on New York. It's most certainly a comedy, in fact it really is very funny in parts what with the whole fish out of water scenario. Our story also takes Dracula to Studio 54 because he heard hot blooded folks would be there (har har), but of course he can't get in because he can't dance. It's far from scary, and on a horror front aside from the theme it isn't the most effective but judge it on it's merits alone and I think it's pretty entertaining. I wish there were more quirky little short films from the '70s like this one, definitely a lot of fun indeed. On a side note, this short film helped Richard Wenk fund his full length '80s flick Vamp which I also quite enjoy.

Availability:  Not on DVD but watch on youtube: 

Left Turn (2001)

3 / 5  June '11
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Sean Ellis
Written by:  Sean Ellis
Actors include:  Lucy Russell, Andrew Tiernan, Heather Jay-Jones
Genre:  Horror, Short
Length:  15 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
This is a remake of a short film from 1978 called Panic which is one of the best I've ever seen.  Unfortunately this one isn't nearly as creepy and the subtly that made the other so special is lacking.  The story is a goodie, it's about a Woman who goes out in the rain and picks up an old woman hitchhiker.  She gets a sneaky feeling that something isn't right and convinces the Woman to get out of the car (to check for a flat) and drives off leaving her there.  The Woman leaves her bag inside the car, and the Woman takes it to the Police station, they open the bag only to find an aresenal of weapons!  It's an okay way to spend 15 minutes, but the other story is so dang effective I was actually excited about seeing what they had done with the remake but this pales in comparison. 

Availability:  Not on DVD but is on Youtube

Panic (1978)

5 / 5 June '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: James Dearden
Written by: James Dearden
Actors include: Julie Neesam, Peter Blake, Avis Bunnage
Genre: Horror, Short
Length: 17 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Wow what a fantastically creepy little short story, especially considering I haven't heard very much about it. This is the sort of film that doesn't smack you over the face with the horror, it's subtle but oh so effective. It's about a young woman called Mandy who we watch get in a spat with her boyfriend. She drives off into the rainy night and decides to perform an act of kindness by picking an old Woman (who happens to be the creepiest hitch-hiker I've ever seen) at the bus stop. She quickly becomes weirded out by this Woman and fakes a flat tire to get her out of the car. The old Woman leaves the bag she was clutching in the car, and this is where the horror begins. It's so gosh darned effective, I really couldn't ask for much more in such a short amount of time. This tale was remade as Turn Left (2006) which throws in a hint of the gratuity that this one didn't have, but it wasn't nearly as frightening.

Availability:  Not on DVD I don't think

Rubber Johnny (2005)

2.5 / 5  May '11
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Chris Cunningham
Written by:  Aphex Twin
Actors include:  Elvis, Percy Rutherford
Genre:  Horror, Short, Animation
Length:  6 minutes
Banned:  Nope







Review:  
Pretty underwhelming little piece about a weird looking boy with shiny eyes who babbles.  He is locked in a basement because he contorts his body into unnatural positions and he's given a little dog for company.  Be prepared for a whole lot of bending and flashy editing as well as music from Aphex Twin.  It just didn't really do anything, and the distortions wore thin rather quickly.  I guess I expected more, and i wasn't really bothered by the fact the boy was supposed to be grotesque or at least he didn't trip me out.  I think if your a fan of this specific techno horror style then you will probably like this but I'll never see it again.

Availability:  On DVD

Recorded Live (1975)

4 / 5  May '11 
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  S.S. Wilson
Written by:  S.S. Wilson
Actors include:  John Goodwin
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Short
Length:  8 minutes
Banned:  Nope






Review:
When you consider how easy this must have been to make, it seems shocking that I haven't seen much like it since.  It's about a Guy called Mr. Aaines who receives a letter for a job interview.  He goes into the office only to find two reels of film sitting there.  The tape on the reels starts unwinding and it forms into some sort of blobular creature that chases him around.  It's not going to freak anyone out, it's just sort of a comedic little "what if" tale that is well executed.  It sounds stupid and yes in a way it is but they come up with enough clever ideas to make it very worthwhile.  I can't help but wonder if Trent Reznor was influenced by this when making his "Head Like A Hole" video. 

Availability:  Not on DVD

The Haunted Mouth (1974)

 3 / 5  May '11 

Tagline:  N/A

Directed by:  N/A
Written by:  N/A

Actors include:  Cesar Romero

Genre:  Horror, Short
Length:  13 minutes

Banned:  Nope

Review:  

I can't believe this exists, it's a slightly horror themed commercial from the '70s brought to us by Colgate.  The concept is that the evil B Plaque (a chair voiced by Cesar Romero) tells tales of children who have lost their teeth due to neglect.  He then gives children instructions of how to keep your teeth clean and flossed and isn't concerned because we won't follow his instructions.  He's quite convinced that he will move on in and take over our teeth oooh scary!  Okay so it's not going to give anyone the chills but when compared to other dental hygiene videos I've seen it's at least creative.  I also appreciate the fact that it's shot in the style of a 'B' Movie, kinda fun though it does wear thin after thirteen minutes.

Availability:  Not on DVD

The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon (2008)

3 / 5  May '11
Tagline:  It will kill you. Even if it takes the rest of your life.
Directed by:  Richard Gale
Written by:  Richard Gale
Actors include:  Paul Clemens, Brian Rohan, Fay Kato
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Short
Length: 10 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:  
Well the title was certainly the best possible choice for the flick.  It is about a murderer who is invincible...and his weapon?  A spoon.  It goes on to mimic scenes from various Hollywood films only of course add in someone getting smacked with a spoon ad nauseam.  It's a short film coming in at ten minutes, but towards the middle it does start to feel horribly long.  At least they do tuck back the odd little treat towards the end so it is worth sticking it out.  It's not complete garbage, it is rather funny for the first few minutes but I can't imagine ever watching it again. 

Availability:  On DVD

I Was A Teenage Intellectual (1999) aka Byl Jsem Mladistvým Intelektuálem

2.5 / 5 May '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Marek Dobes, Stepan Kopriva
Written by: Marek Dobes, Stepan Kopriva
Actors include: Vladimír Skultéty, Sona Tomeckova, Robert Jaskow
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Short
Length: 17 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This really felt like a silly little joke which although it was a short film (at 16 minutes) it should have been maybe 3 minutes or so long. The gag is the comparison between intellectuallism and werewolfism which is kinda cute I guess but far from satisfying. Two junk food lovin' action fans are content in their lives until one of them is bitten by an intellectual. Suddenly he starts craving big words, big books and attending cult like meetings dressed in black. On a horror front this is very unsatisfying, and although I did laugh at the A Nightmare on Elm Street gag there isn't much else nice I could say.

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I know

Forklift Driver Klaus: The First Day on the Job (2000) aka Staplerfahrer Klaus - Der Erste Arbeitstag

4 / 5 May '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Stefan Prehn, Jörg Wagner
Written by: Jörg Wagner, Stefan Prehn
Actors include: Konstantin Graudus, Gustav Adolph Artz, Jürgen Kittel
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Length: 9 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Maybe it's because I've seen several forklift training videos because I work in a Warehouse that I found this to be so hilarious. It's a German short film that is created in the style of a workplace safety video, and as it goes on it gets increasingly more ridiculous and bloody. We first meet Klaus, a newly certified forklift driver who is ready to start his day. At first he decides it's safe to lift a fellow employee on a pallet which of course he finds out isn't the wisest idea. Each time Klaus has a bad idea we go back to an alarm and the next incident seems to get worse. Even the cheesy music and voiceover really make this something entertaining to watch. I think anyone who likes to see things go terribly wrong should enjoy this in some twisted way.

Availability:  I don't think it's on DVD

Roadkill: The Last Days Of John Martin (1994)

3 / 5 May '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jim Van Bebber
Written by: Mark Gillespie, Jim Van Bepper
Actors include: Marc Pitman, Mark Gillespie, Maureen Allisse
Genre: Horror, Short
Length: 15 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So apparently this short film was created by Jim Van Bebber as a means to finance his feature length film My Sweet Satan. It's certainly attempting to appeal to splatter fans as it jumps right in with our crazy main character yanking entrails from some sort of animal and having a snack. In fact when he's not gnawing on raw parts he's yelling repetitively and watching '80s tv programs, quite the fulfilling life really. He goes out on a cruise and picks up some hitchhikers and has a little dismemberment dinner party. It's definitely trying to mimic the ambiance and sentiment of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but with no avail as this just isn't creepy. I did appreciate the fact that it was quite gory and well I actually thought it was funny and easy enough to watch but it shouldn't scare anyone.

Availability:  On DVD as part of a set with My Sweet Satan

Clockwork (1978)

2 / 5 May '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi
Actors include: Cheryl Guttridge, Scott Spiegel
Genre: Horror, Short
Length: 7 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So this is where it all began for Sam Raimi (along with the precursor to The Evil Dead called Within the Woods). It's a short film that certainly oozes "Student Film" left right and centre. It's grainy and very cheap looking (though the aged print may have been the issue with this) and it's certainly not very well developed plot wise. We watch a Woman move about her apartment before going to sleep (though we see someone standing outside who is obviously ready for some killin' action). She wakes up to some noises (for some reason El Killer is throwing a Ketchup bottle and being destructive towards condiments?) only to find of course that the murderer is in her house. If only she'd invested in doors that weren't made of paper perhaps this tale could have gone differently. It's just really nothing much to see, it's not gory, it's not scary and it's not even interesting. I suppose Raimi buffs may want to have a gander like I did and heck I suppose it will only waste 7 minutes of your time.

Availability:  Not on DVD

Ashes Of Doom (1970)

4.5 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Don Arioli, Grant Munro
Written by: Don Arioli
Actors include: Grant Munro, Nadia Salnick
Genre: Horror, Short, Comedy
Length: 2 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I absolutely think this is the best anti-smoking add I've ever seen. Maybe it's because I love the Hammer style Dracula slant on this, or maybe it's just because it's funny. It was created by the National Health Board of Canada to of course raise awareness about the ills of smoking. It shows a Woman who is chain smoking like mad in Gothic garb, when in flies Dracula through the window. He leans in to bite her neck...only to find a little surprise. Anyone interested can find it here to watch: http://beta.nfb.ca/film/ashes_of_doom/

Availability:  Not on DVD but watch for free online above

The Sandman (1991)

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Paul Berry
Written by: N/A
Actors include: N/A
Genre: Horror, Animation
Length: 9 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I did not see this coming somehow...no wonder children are terrified of the Sandman! The style is Tim Burtonesque, sort of gnarled and twisted but whimsical too. It's created with stop-motion and the attention to detail is remarkable. The story is about a Mother who sends her little Boy up to bed with a flickering candle. Before long the Sandman is creeping around, but what could he want? Surprising and refreshing, not the sort of thing one should show to children at all. Very creative and creepy little delight, well worth checking out, and it was nominated for an Oscar for best short film in 1992.

Availability:  I don't think it's on DVD

The Tell-Tale Heart (1953)

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Ted Parmelee
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe, Bill Scott
Actors include: James Mason
Genre: Animation, Short, Crime, Horror
Length: 8 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I didn't really know this story before watching this, I knew something about the floorboards but nothing else. Pretty neat really, it's about a crazy Man who is obsessed with his old Man Landlord's eye. I love the style of animation used here, it's so very gothic and dark yet claustrophobic in a way. It does a fantastic job of building the tension and sort of putting us in the mind of the crazy Man. It's only 8 minutes long so it's definitely to the point, and the story is told through narration. It manages to be a bit creepy, and interesting definitely worth a viewing, I wish there were more like this one but alas I haven't seen any.

Availability:  not on DVD I believe