PopHorror Let's Get Scared
We watch a lot of different kinds of horror here at PopHorror. We get isolated, we watch loved ones get tortured and die, we get chased by mute, omnipresent psychos, we go insane and we watch the end of the world, all on a daily basis. However, it’s not every day that we see the horror of running out of supplies. In iByte Film’s short Match, we see one man’s determination to save his last match for something truly important.
The official synopsis:
A man’s insistent belief that his last match will someday protect him is put to the test when the world around him begins to crumble.
Match was directed by Alex M. Gibson (Stranger in My Mirror 2015) and was written and filmed by RJ Ortiz (Deimosimine 2017). Both Gibson and Ortiz produced. The film stars The Atoning’s (2017) Alex Zuko as David and Virginia Newcomb as Ashley, as well as J. Benedict Larmore (Bullet of Madness 2015) as Gabriel.
Released on April 14, 2017 thanks to The Atoning director Michael Williams and Don Tingle of Alabama Film Co-op, Match brings us into the world of David, a man who refuses to use his last match, no matter how bad he needs it. Even after he hasn’t had a cigarette in hours, David refuses to light that match. What in the world could possibly happen to get him to light it up?
Match was a fantastic short that portrayed memorable characters in its short nine minute time frame. I could sense the loving, relaxed relationship between David and his wife, Ashley, and the easygoing rapport between him and his friend, Gabe. It was a brilliant bit of scriptwriting to be able to create such well-defined characters in such a short amount of time. Of course, the acting of Zuko, Newcomb and Larmore was just as responsible, if not more, for establishing these memorable roles. I was also extremely impressed with Ortiz’s cinematography. The shot of Gabe standing in the parking lot as David backs out of the parking spot was brilliant. You can see the shock and panic in Gabe’s face but you can’t hear him shout to his friend through the back window of the car. Last but not least, the “Love” sign in the opening and closing scenes was truly inspired.
So if you’re looking for a beautifully shot, in depth short that ends on a terrifyingly shocking note, look no further than Match. The short will be making a local festival run in Alabama, but as soon as it’s available to stream, PopHorror will let you know.
