PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I watch a lot of reality shows where a psychic helps the police find a missing person. As I’m watching, I always ask myself, “Are they really psychic? Is it possible for them to see beyond what the average person can see?” In the 2016 horror short Hidden Daylight, I may have finally found my answer.
What better time to watch director Adrienne Lovette’s Hidden Daylight than during Women in Horror Month. The film was written by John Rice and also stars him as well. Hidden Daylight has been on the film festival circuit throughout 2016 and has scared up quite a few awards. This film is longer then most short films I’ve seen with a run-time of around 18 minutes, so I was very excited to watch it.
Official Synopsis of Hidden Daylight:
When his girlfriend is abducted by a sadistic killer, a distraught businessman seeks answers from a blind psychic who can see through the eyes of the madman.
What worked for me in Hidden Daylight: It had a fresh take on psychic phenomena. Not only was the psychic blind, but the character was also played by a man (John Rice). That, to me, was the most compelling part of Hidden Daylight. Rice delivered on all cylinders in this role. The premise is great. It was even nice to see some back story on the business man, played by the talented David Rey.
What didn’t work for me: It is very hard to shock me with any twist in a horror film. From the start, my theory about the kidnapping was correct. It was just too obvious right from the get go. If that was the intention, I would be curious to know why. Although I figured it out immediately, other audiences might not. That is really my only complaint with the film.
Final Thoughts:
Hidden Daylight had a super strong premise. I would like to have had more back story on the psychic. I’m a stickler for horror shorts because they are the hardest genre to make into a short film but they can sometimes leave me wanting more. I think this film would be brilliant as a full length feature. It also has some amazing talents with Lovette directing, Rice telling the story and Rey’s outstanding acting. When you get the chance, give Hidden Daylight a watch and see if you can predict what is going to happen!
