Out There
Directed by Randal Plunkett
Written by Randal Plunkett
Starring Conor Marren, Emma Eliza Regan, Johnny Carey
Produced by Kevin Fisher, Randal Plunkett
Dunsany Productions
Released 2012

Robert (Conor Marren) wakes up in a forest with a severe head wound. He calls out for help but when no one comes, he ambles through the woods to a house of horrors. There’s no help there, either. This is the opening scene of Out There, the latest short horror film by Randal Plunkett. You can watch the trailer below.

Through flashbacks, we learn what has happened to the young man and his girlfriend, Jane, (Emma Eliza Regan) with whom he was traveling. We learn the phones have gone down everywhere and she’s worried about her parents. We learn there’s been a car accident and something else – something so horrific it leads the young man to do the unthinkable: leave his girlfriend trapped and all too conscious in the car that won’t start in time for them to get away from”¦wait for it”¦a hourde of fast moving ZOMBIES!

We don’t find out the particulars of how the zombie apocalypse happened or what will happen to Robert after the final scene fades to black but we can pretty well guess. That’s the beauty of the short film: it’s a tiny nugget of gorgeous scenery, a quick pulse-pounding buildup to a shocking climax, and then it’s over. The music is pretty rad, too.

Out There was filmed at Dunsany Castle Estate in Ireland. Plunkett, the 21st Lord Dunsany, hails from a long line of artistically gifted people. Out There is his sixth short film. With a legacy like that and youth on his side (he’s 28), I predict we’ll see great things from Randal Plunkett in the future.

View the official Out There trailer below.