The fourth and final day of #THS has come and gone, and I still cannot get some of these shorts out of my mind. I don't have anything to compare it to, but they really outdid themselves this year!
Bos
Bos may not be for everyone as it watched more like moving art than a riveting film, but this dark fantasy was somber and beautifully done. Two young adults jog wordlessly through a forest. They stop. A gentle smile and panting breaths are all that is shared between the two before they take off again. Everything goes right, and then horribly wrong, when they stumble into a ravine.
Misha
If you're looking for a modern take on a witch hunt, then make Misha your go-to. A woman named Misha is caring for her sick daughter who had already been out of school five days when a group of scientists barge in unannounced to run tests on the girl. We hope that they're here to help, but it becomes apparent that they're there for something much more sinister, and Misha is not having it.
Exit
What do you do when there's an expanding space inside a house, but no changes on the outside? Well, you dive right in, of course! Three construction workers quarrel about the home they're building, which defies the laws of physics, and how it will affect their building deadline if they don't finish it. Eventually they cave and decide to check it out, thinking there could be money in an attraction like this. When one of them enters the anomaly, we are shown what can happen when someone ventures into a space that breaks the laws of physics looking for something to gain...
Second Signal
Second Signal was the weakest of all of the shorts for me, but that doesn't mean it was badly done. This short film follows a filmmaker who continues to be tormented by an entity every time she starts up her camera. The set design is great and the premise is interesting (a nice throwback to when VHS was still around) but this one just failed to hit the spot for me.
Nova
Ah, Nova. What a brilliant short film. The simplicity of the camera work is what really made the story shine. The revolving shot focuses on a doctor who is speaking to a camera explaining, and enduring, the horrific effects of an experiment gone wrong. During each revolution around the character, we see her become more and more afflicted. As soon as Nova ended I immediately wanted a full-length film.
Progeny
Alien implantation hopefuls, this is your short film! In this day and age, couples who cannot conceive normally can elect for a different sort of adoption process… In Progeny, the men carry the children after a quick, painless procedure where an alien race that walks among us implants a fetus within their neck. Except, what happens when the implantation is done forcefully and the parasite is not wanted?
Carmentis
This short follows a man in an astromech suit who became separated from his group. After falling off a cliff, he experiences the extremes of the planet he was sent to work on over three years ago. Carmentis was your typical sci-fi suspense, but the production value was incredible. This short was a strong and impressive end to the Dark Fantasy and Sci-Fi shorts block.
It was a great first experience with Telluride Horror Show, and I'm already excited for next year! Hopefully we get to meet in Telluride and I can get the in-person experience Sickle and Efrit talk so much about!
#telluridehorrorshow #ths2020 #horrorshorts #progeny #misha #bos #nova