Overall, I just have to say I did not care for it much. I do not know, it had moments when I thought it was rather creepy, just overall I did not know what the film was going for. The film has a man who is apparently lonely, and he sees an ad in the paper for a best friend that he can get on a trial basis. Well said friend arrives in the form of a life size dummy, more of a mannequin really with a creepy white mask. Well this guy brings it into his home and you see strange things here and there, however, I never got the gist of it, I would say it was cause I could not hear it as there was a very loud thunderstorm going on while I was watching it, but I do not believe there was any dialog of note in the entire movie. It has a nice look to it though and there were a couple of nice scenes and ideas, just overall I did not get what this short was trying to convey. That is the problem with watching horror shorts, they either work or they do not, they are generally hit and miss and I am afraid that for me anyway this one missed the mark. However, it is short and the full movie is here at the site so I suggest watching and making up your own mind.
2 Reviews
Simple but very effective little chiller (spoilers)
bob the moo31 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A man sits alone in his flat a situation that he has become accustom to if not happy with. He sees an advert in a magazine for a trial of a new best friend. He figures that not only is he lonely but figures it is free so why not. What he gets delivered is a full size immobile dummy. However, for the all the dummy doesn't move, it brings an entirely new feel to the man's flat and life.
I wasn't sure what I was watching when I started this film and to be honest for a second there I thought I might be on a comedy of some sort. However once the dummy is in the house it is clear that this is a horror of sorts because we have the constant presence along with the very well done unsettled soundtrack (essentially just a droned noise of doom). For the vast majority of the film the dummy is a static presence that just looks and feels wrong but this is made much more effective by the very quick cuts that suggest movement in particular the "did I imagine that" edit when the dummy is standing by the bed. The main device is just the presence of the dummy being places and, although simple, it does work very well.
The conclusion to the tale is only obvious a few seconds before it happens and I thought worked pretty well mainly because it ends the film without relieving the sense of doom and fear of the story. Very low budget short film I have no doubt but very enjoyable and effective at what it sets out to do.
I wasn't sure what I was watching when I started this film and to be honest for a second there I thought I might be on a comedy of some sort. However once the dummy is in the house it is clear that this is a horror of sorts because we have the constant presence along with the very well done unsettled soundtrack (essentially just a droned noise of doom). For the vast majority of the film the dummy is a static presence that just looks and feels wrong but this is made much more effective by the very quick cuts that suggest movement in particular the "did I imagine that" edit when the dummy is standing by the bed. The main device is just the presence of the dummy being places and, although simple, it does work very well.
The conclusion to the tale is only obvious a few seconds before it happens and I thought worked pretty well mainly because it ends the film without relieving the sense of doom and fear of the story. Very low budget short film I have no doubt but very enjoyable and effective at what it sets out to do.
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