Last One Screaming
Written and Directed by Matt Devino
Starring Camilla Greenberg, Olivia Mackenzie Smith, Derek Weston, Nick Biron
Runtime: 10 minutes
Assorted Kinds
Released date: February 18, 2019 (YouTube)

Horror short films have become a passion of mine as I began attending more film festivals. Matt Devino‘s Last One Screaming played back in December at the New York City Horror Film Festival, continuing a successful festival run. The film takes only ten minutes to leave its mark on a horror fan, playing with genre tropes and conventions and treating the fan with respect. It begins its run on YouTube today.

Uber Ex
Directed by Matt Braunsdorf
Written by Jonathan Marballi
Starring Jonathan Marballi, Paige Lindsay Betts, Jeremy Michaels
Runtime: 16 minutes 30 seconds
Jonny Marbles Films
Release date: February 14, 2019 (Amazon Video Direct & Vimeo)

I first spoke with director Matt Braunsdorf a few years back when his short horror film John the Carpenter played at the New York City Horror Film Festival. I enjoyed the heck out of it and reviewed it for this site. Proving that he can excel in multiple genres, Braunsdorf’s latest short film is far from the monster-in-the-woods thriller of JtC, and rather a romance right in time for Valentine’s Day. Uber Ex is 16 minutes and makes for a good cuddle session with your significant other. It’s realistic, but ultimately charming, with three solid performances and an excellent score.

A Knock at the Door
Written & Directed by Katrina Rennells and Wendie Weldon
Starring Drew Jenkins, Kelley Mack, David Sullivan, Parker Mack
Not Rated | 8 Minutes
NY Premiere: November 10, 2016 (NYC Horror Film Festival)

Short films are important, and maybe no other genre is capable of getting to the point quickly like horror. The Saw franchise, which now contains 7 (!) films grossing almost $1 billion worldwide, is based on a short treatment by Leigh Whannell. Just this year, David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out grossed $141 million worldwide. That film was based on the 3-minute short Sandberg did back in 2013. Tonight, the NYC Horror Film Festival kicks off a 4-day extravaganza, and the short film A Knock at the Door is making its New York premiere there. The film is written, directed, and produced by an all-female team.

Emily Lawrence, an actress, writer, and veteran audiobook narrator, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a short film she is writing, producing, and starring in titled Lilith in the Garden.

Described as a sci-fi drama that “looks at what makes us who we are,” Lilith is to be directed by Leslie Bumgarner, a longtime cinematographer who recently started to take on directing projects for short features and television, with actor Rob Mathes set to play the male lead. The target fundraising goal for the campaign is $5,000, and donors will be treated to all manner of juicy perks depending on the size of their donation.

Continue below for more on the film and to watch the Kickstarter video.

Reality Check
Project Type: Short Film (Sci-Fi)
Funding Goal: $10,000
End Date: August 23, 2013

Chris Buchal is an independent film maker taking on the insurance industry. Sure, ok, pretty cool. Only, he’s not making an intrepid, expose documentary; he’s making a sci-fi-heavy, time traveling short … way more awesome, right?

The world of Reality Check gives insurance claim adjusters the ability to travel back in time and investigate claims as they happened. The short focuses on Elion (Cora Benesh) as she’s investigating her final claim, which will grant her an opportunity to time travel into her own past. Her path leads her down a bad trip where she’ll confront violence, love, relationships, and deceit.

Buchal, who cites Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, and David Fincher as major influences, when asked about what he wanted to bring to the time travel sub-genre, he responded: “I like that time-travel in 12 Monkeys has a loop. Looper has a loop with a twist at the end. Primer has… options. Then Looper has characters I like, and 12 Monkeys‘ plot actually makes sense. What makes Primer cool is…well… we don’t actually really know…or do we?

“So for this piece, I’d like to do a loopitdy loop within a loop, add a strong female lead, have moral decisions, and cover corporate accountability. Corporations, while made of large groups of people, are in the end composed of individuals. This is a story about an individual, and how corruption begins on a personal level.”