You all know the Old One is a fan of independent horror, and you have bravely suffered my laments at the lack of quality material in that vein of late...
Well, I've found someone that does it RIGHT.
'Worm' is the second film by Canadian independent production company, Fatal Pictures. Now, it's a short film, running only twenty minutes, but I have to say it's twenty minutes of my favorite indie-watching in the last several months. For such a small production, it's visual and sound quality are on a par with most television shows, and the acting (of which admittedly there are only three speaking roles, with 95% of the dialogue being one character) was convincing and, at times, quite disturbing.
The story is a simple one; a day in the life of your basic high school teacher, following his movements. The hook is that we are also privy to his innermost thoughts...and those thoughts, kiddies, are where real horror lies. The film was written extremely well, and our normal, everyday teacher reveals to us in his mental meanderings where real monstrosity and evil lies within our world.
There scarcely a drop of blood, and I think I saw ONE thing that might be considered an 'effect', so gorehounds and splatterjocks won't be impressed, but the glimpse into the mind of a common link in all of our psyches, seeing what layers of the abyss may walk just beside us on the street, reached me effectively and with impact. These filmmakers didn't NEED a big palette of effects shots, no; they really know how to grab us by the short hairs using story and emotion, not only making the most with a small budget, but hitting the core of what is actually out there to be afraid of.
Great writing, cinematography, and a stellar performance by our lead brings us a film that really explores the darkness. I'll definitely be watching for more from these guys.
You never know what lies beneath a benign face, kiddies...you never know.
Hello, children!
