News
Horror Short Film Review: ‘Post Mortem Mary’ is a Snapshot of Young Fear
Written and directed by Joshua Long, Australian horror short Post Mortem Mary has been creeping through film festivals all over the world – including Australia, Mexico, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Norway, Romania, Korea, Scotland, England, and several festivals across America. Clearly, Mary is not one to settle, and it’s paid off.
Post Mortem Mary has nabbed awards for Best Foreign Short Film at Atlanta Film Fest and Idaho Horror Film Fest, and Best Short Film at the prestigious Sitges Film Festival in Spain.
The short is a crawling gothic horror set in 1840’s Australia. We follow young Mary (Stella Charrington) and her mother (Melanie Zanetti) who run a post-mortem photography business together. Mary is – naturally – a bit uneasy around the recently deceased, much to the frustration of her mother.
Their work brings them to a small farmhouse where they meet the devastated mother of their newest subject. As they prepare, Mary’s mother must step outside to comfort her – inconsolable in her grief – leaving Mary alone to confront her fears and get the job done. Mary must do all she can to make the very dead daughter look alive.
Clocking in at just over 9 minutes, the short uses the stillness that’s naturally found in this small, rural setting to slowly build tension. It’s the type of fear that sneaks up on you and squeezes tight.
A driving force in this tension is the string-heavy score by Jesse Breckon-Thomas. The low, humming bass pulls the action forward as frantic, pricking violins push the audience back. It’s a powerful dance that flows well with the cinematography by Ben Nott (Winchester, Jigsaw, Daybreakers).
Post Mortem Mary is shot from the eyeline of its young star, bringing the audience down to her level in order for us to connect with her fear. Mary’s role is one of passive reaction; as a child (on a job, no less), she’s stuck without any real agency. She only has one line of dialogue – a line of fearful protest.
Long plays on that idea of our childhood fears and how they can seem to be justified, even when they’re completely irrational. But unlike a monster under the bed, Mary has good reason to be terrified. She’s working alone with a dead body, which itself is a scary situation, though logically she’s perfectly safe (though anyone who has ever watched a horror movie will recognize that that’s not necessarily true).
Along with the musical score, sound effects play a memorable role when combined with the FX work by Chad Atkinson (Hostel: Part II, Planet Terror, Emmy Award winner for The Pacific). The special makeup effects are so subtle that they blend right in to look – and sound – completely natural.
We’re quite fond of short horror films here at iHorror. A well-made horror short is the perfect appetizer for the full course of a feature; they’re an excellent way to set the tone. A theatre in Brisbane played Post Mortem Mary before a screening of Hereditary, which – thematically speaking – is a fantastic pairing.
So in that vein, think of this as a “level up” for your movie marathon nights. Before you watch your frightening feature, pre-game with a scary short film that fits the mood. And if you’ve got the chance to see it, Post Mortem Mary is definitely one we’d recommend.
Post Mortem Mary will screen next at the Terror Molins Film Festival in Spain. For additional screenings, you can keep an eye on their Facebook page. You can view the trailer and poster below.
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News
Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed
Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.
This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.
The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.
The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.
Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.
Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.
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Movies
‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram
Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.
The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.
Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.
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News
Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five
Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.
Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.
Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.
So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.
Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?
The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.
Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube
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