‘Commune’ Horror Short (2016) – Review

Imagine taking an easy housesitting job in an ordinary town. Easy money, right? Don’t burn the place down and don’t let any squatters in. That seems simple enough. Unless, of course, you are tasked with handling the building in Commune.

Any time a new, original horror film is announced, I tend to get excited while also keeping my guard up. The strange thing about the horror genre is that a good story can get lost or trifled with during the production process. The idea looks great and terrifying on paper, but as soon as the wrong people touch the script, it’s doomed. The beauty of short horror films is that it is much rarer to have a story ruined. The short run times allow for the audience to be drawn in, hit with suspense, and then left with a home run ending. Horror shorts are also indie films – for the most part – so the true filmmakers have their vision reach fruition without big studio interruption. It’s like a roller coaster ride; short but intense. Commune hits the nail on the head. Here is the official synopsis:

A man takes a job as the guardian of a rundown London house. Charged with keeping the property secure, he soon realizes that it’s not the building that needs protecting, but himself. A malevolent dark cult from the past, resides within the building and they are hunting for new members, stopping at nothing to make you, join them.

The opening sets the tone for the rest of the film, which is only 16+ minutes long. The building that our protagonist, Tom (Tom Weller), is assigned to take care of is allegedly a former commune. Writer and director Thomas Perrett does a superb job. His use of sound and lighting draw the audience into the creepiness Tom is experiencing. Every creak the house makes sends you into defense mode. The music is chilling to say the least. The cinematography is beautiful yet equally unsettling. Commune is a well crafted film overall – regardless of length.

Final Thoughts

Commune is one of the fresh takes on the haunted house genre in horror. Once again, being that Commune is a short film, it leaves very little room for error as feature length films often do. Perrett capitalized on it and packed a heavy punch filled with dread and fear. I’ve watched it twice already and I hope that anyone reading this gives it at least one shot when it is released.