PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I bet every single person reading this review has been woken up in the middle of the night at least once by some kind of weird noises breaking the midnight silence. Tapping, hissing, knocking, whispering… all of these sounds can be easily explained in the daylight, but at night, those rattles, rasps and rustles could be anything. In Julian Zakrzewski’s horror short The Hag, which premiered at the 2017 Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival, we find out just what – or who – could be making those seemingly innocuous noises.
Official synopsis for The Hag
It seems like an ordinary night when Emily turns out the lights in her apartment. Little does she know that her night will become a living nightmare. In the early hours of the morning, her apartment is haunted by a demonic presence in the form of an old hag. Emily soon discovers that the Hag’s intentions are threatening and is forced into a state of ultimate survival.
The Hag was written and directed by debut filmmaker Julian Zakrzewski, and stars Jade O’Keefe (Voyeur 2016) and Anne Shepherd (Witchslayer Gretl 2012). The movie was produced by Jonathan Pereira (Sweet Yoyo 2017) while Joel Ruscinski (Harold West and His Journey to the Stars 2016) composed the music and filmed the short.
In just under eight minutes, Zakrzewski tells a tale of terror that could befall even the most innocent of victims. Kelly (Jade O’Keefe) doesn’t do anything to anyone. She doesn’t deserve a visit from the Hag (Anne Shepherd), yet here she is, creeping and creaking through Kelly’s dark house. We have no idea what she wants or why she’s picked Kelly. She just has. With no former characterization, Kelly could be anyone. She could be you. And you could be next.
As you can tell by the pictures, The Hag is incredibly dark. I had to lighten the screenshots I took and they’re still barely recognizable. While the darkness did help create a dark, off-kilter sense during the short’s runtime, it also made it very hard to see. I understand that keeping the audience in the dark, not knowing what is creeping around in the shadows, helps them to feel as unsteady and erratic as poor Kelly. However, sometimes too much can be hidden in the shadows. We need to see something.
I will say that, besides the lighting, The Hag was an intense, creepy way to spend eight minutes. If you get the chance, check it out. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
