The best horror shorts (films under 30 minutes) are often just as effective and impactful as full length features. They can also make for a great break from reality, a moment of escapism when you don’t have a lot of time to spare—like at work or between classes. And there’s one area where horror shorts are far superior to their 3-Act counterparts: They almost always leave you wanting more!
The gruesome CROW HAND got tons of festival love in 2015, and it’s still receiving mad props, having just received the Best Comedy Short laurels from the Fantastic Film Awards. The “CAW”tionary tale, written and directed by Brian Lonano, is funnier and gorier in 2 minutes than most feature-length horror comedies. It’s irreverently juvenile yet undeniably compelling—impossible to watch only once.
CROW HAND features talented and prolific indie actor Jason Vail, best known for more serious roles in films like GUT and VALLEY OF THE SASQUATCH; it’s great to see him giving 100% to such a ridiculously madcap scenario. Caitlin McPhail is deadpan brilliant as Vail’s less-than-sympathetic wife: “See, I told you not to pick it up.”
Best to consider this one NSFW.
https://vimeo.com/107546142
—
Got a suggestion for a future Quick Fix? Let me know! joshua.millican@yahoo.com
Josh Millican is a writer and co-owner at The Blood-Shed and contributes at Tom Holland’s Terror Time, Dread Central, Bloodbath and Beyond, Top 10 Films, Scream Sirens, The Slaughtered Bird, and Horror Fix. Follow him on Twitter @josh_millican or contact him at Joshua.millican@yahoo.com.
