PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Another great horror short that hit the 2018 Women in Horror Film Festival was Heartless. This didn’t really surprise me all that much, as I’m a huge fan of filmmaker Kevin Sluder. I absolutely love some of his previous work, including Feeding Time and Mainline, which he executively produced. What did I like about Heartless? Read on to find out!
This delicious new horror short was directed and written by Kevin Sluder, with his wife, Jennifer, as executive producer. The cast includes Stacy Snyder (Feeding Time 2016), Joanna Sotomura, Matt Mercer (All the Creatures Are Stirring 2018), Ron Morehouse, and more.
Synopsis for Heartless:
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart: An overlooked associate struggles to complete a corporate presentation as a horrific secret gnaws at her conscience.
This short is so much fun to watch, and I actually enjoyed it even more after a second viewing. It’s beautifully shot with a hilariously disturbing story and extreme characters that leave a lasting impression. Heartless is, by far, one of my favorite shorts of the year and one that makes me smile every time I think about it. That may make me slightly morbid, but oh well…
“They’re projectionists. They’re not real. You get that, right?”
It was great to see Stacy Snyder back in action. She was wonderful in Feeding Time, but she shows a completely different side of herself in Heartless. She’s mastered the art of rage and executes it brilliantly. She’s the poster child for “crazy beautiful,” and her acting makes the short slightly uncomfortable to watch… yet you can’t look away.
I’ve also always loved Matt Mercer’s work in the industry. In Heartless, he plays an egotistical asshole effortlessly, which is totally a compliment despite, how it may sound, I promise! He has some one-liners that are truly hilarious and stick with you long after the short is over.
“Shelby, that is completely inappropriate!”
This story may be short, but it doesn’t hold back on the blood shed at all. The FX are truly remarkable in this tale and will shock you with out how realistic they are. This is something I always pay close attention to because often, effects can make or break a story. What Sluder delivered was top notch, and you can see it pays off.
Final Thoughts
In less than 13 minutes, Heartless delivers a well-crafted, hilarious horror story that gives full length features and blockbusters a run for their money. This is the type of story that horror fans want to see. I can’t wait to see what Kevin Sluder does next, but it’s without a doubt that Heartless proves we will see great things from in the future.
