Johnny Off the Spot (2008) User Reviews

Effective, Suspenseful Work From Retelas & Co.

[ewhightower · 10/10 · 4 March 2009]

Once again, George Retelas makes very clear to us his delight in crisp, well-paced storytelling and intelligent use of whatever tools he has on hand. This remarkably suspenseful vampire short is smart, inventive and surprisingly funny. Among its many good points is the disturbing and hilarious fashion in which Dracula "floats" down the hall -- akin to dreams of flying by swimming in the air, with the distinct flavor of childhood nightmares. I think I know how it was done, but I am not going to bore you with a recap; it must be watched. Several things stand out in this film but I will mention one here: it's four minutes long but quite effectively suspenseful in those four minutes; I did not expect to be so spooked. Cannot wait to see what Retelas & Co. do next.

Nifty horror short

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 3 January 2010]

Johnny (George Retelas, who both co-wrote and co-directed this movie) has a harrowing run-in with legendary ferocious vampire Dracula (an impressively vicious Konstantine Anthony, who sports a gnarly pair of black sunglasses) while out walking one fateful night. This short manages in a very efficient and straightforward manner to milk a good deal of tension and effectively spooky nocturnal atmosphere from the simple, yet compelling premise. The use of such natural sounds as owls hooting and crickets chirping adds substantially to the eerie atmosphere. The shuddery and syncopated score does the spine-tingling trick. Jeff Croghan's crisp cinematography is likewise up to par; the shot of Dracula flying down a hallway is especially striking and impressive. Moreover, the whole thing builds to an extremely funny and unexpected surprise comic punchline. An enjoyable little romp.