Directed by: Daniel McGuire Written by: Daniel McGuire Genre: Horror Connect:
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Aim High
Opening up with a man contemplating suicide is surely a good place to start a horror film. Even a short horror film. Get 'em hooked and then pull the old bait and switch. In Aim High, the bait and switch takes us to Clare (Rebekka Gondosch) as she battles her inner voice. There's a monster inside her, one that's won the cognitive battle more than a couple times. What's that? A knock on the door? It's her ex-boyfriend Brody (Michael Pearson) coming to get back together with her. That's what he thinks but for Clare, him leaving the apartment alive is a bet easily lost.
Daniel McGuire's short film is labelled a straight up horror but I think it's equal parts comedy. The jokes come not from any visual gags, but from the inner thoughts and reactions of the starring cast. Everyone, except the downstairs neighbor is really funny to watch. Not their acting but the written interactions between their outer selves and inner thoughts. It should also be said that nobody in this short film seems mentally stable. There is no grounding sanity used as a baseline. Either that or I'm personally just a really boring person. You'll have to decide after watching. Between writing about the micro budget horror film that is also a comedy I've neglected to write if everything actually works. Does Aim High gel together and form a production worth your time? It did for me. There are plenty of visual framing and camera issues that scream micro budget, but there is also some excellent blood effects that do more than an adequate job. Especially once the trick ending happens. Those final few minutes, and the very last shot are my favorite parts; leaving me with a strange creeping feeling that was absent throughout the rest of the movie. I also want to commend the acting. Kind of. It's all rather unconventional and can't really be described with words. Not with my ability that is. It's kind of strange, shifting from totally dramatic to strangely under dramatic. This probably sounds strange to read but kind of makes sense on screen. It's the acting that adds the kind of comedy here I wrote about above. But is it bad? Is it good? Aim High deals with crazy people and then finally, with shock. The kind of shock people go into when a trauma happens. So the strange acting is actually normal, if you get my point. Definitely one to at least check out and decide for yourself if I'm on the right track but personally, I had some fun with Aim High. Being a short film, you don't really have a lot to lose and will probably enjoy this one. Three and a half stars and a big thanks for reading. |
