PopHorror Let's Get Scared
A Prank Gone Too Far?
Telling a complete story in a short amount of time is no easy task. More often than not, what I’ve seen come into festivals are highly stylized, beautifully shot scenes, but not full stories. Give me substance over style any day. ‘Wrightwood‘ delivers quite the story.
In ‘Wrightwood‘ Scott meets his friends at a cabin in the woods for the weekend. He’s puzzled when all anyone seems to say to him is, “Kill me”. There’s not too much more I can say about the story without giving it away, but things take a dark and terrifying turn at nightfall.
While the film is listed as a horror comedy, I honestly say it’s straight-up horror… It’s a unique concept that I’d honestly love to see developed into a feature.
But What Really Happened, Though?
The way it’s cut together though, you don’t really get an idea of what could’ve possibly happened until watching the end credits. I’m a fan of Easter eggs in the credits, but the actual ending is just so abrupt it’s that unfun feeling of, “But what happened?!”
I absolutely loved the score and sound design. The actors’ performances are also on point, with excellent camera work and lighting. And this is to add to my earlier statement of ‘substance over style.’ When I say “style” I mean a signature look or feel. There is also a more organic approach to filming where you have clean, well-produced shots. It’s technically sound, but not boring. There’s a dynamic in the visuals that keeps you interested and, of course, how the story unfolds draws you in. That means more to me than making something look flashy and bold, and, in my opinion, takes more skill to do so.
Overall, I enjoyed ‘Wrightwood‘ and believe it has tremendous potential to be a feature film. You can check ‘Wrightwood‘ out on writer/co-director Skylar Caleb’s YouTube page: Wrightwood Short Film
