Tags:
Film: Dream Creep
Year: 2024
Director: Carlos A.F. Lopez
Writers: Carlos A.F. Lopez
Starring: Ian Edlund and Sidney Jayne Hunt
Review:
This was a short that I got the chance to check out as a screener. It is making its debut at Sundance and I was quite honored to be asked. I came in with knowing the title as well as this was horror which was enough for me.
Synopsis: a couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
We start this in bed with our couple, David (Ian Edlund) and Suzy (Sidney Jayne Hunt). He hears Suzy calling out to him, but it doesn't make sense as she is asleep. When he gets closer, he realizes that he is hearing her voice coming from her ear. She gives him a difficult request, needing him to not wake her. The voice is telling him that there is something taking over her body and he must kill it before it is too late.
So, I wasn't sure with my recap if I should go too deep with revealing things. This ran 13 minutes and I'll admit, I was captivated. I like the fact that we don't know if David is losing his mind or if he is hearing what he thinks he's hearing. Suzy's voice is coming from her ear and tells him not to wake her. If he does, whatever is taking her over will win. He doesn't do what she says, it will eventually take over. I like the idea that he loves her and is willing to do what she demands. The reveal of the truth by the end sealed this one being good for me.
Now if you've never read a review that I've done for a short film, I tend to break them into two different categories. I've noticed there are ones that need to be fleshed out more or ones that tell a complete story. This one I think falls in the latter where we get a complete story here. I would be interested in seeing more though and where it goes by the end of this as well. What I like though is that we see David make that difficult decision and then see where Suzy goes because of it. There's such an interesting concept here that impressed me.
I'll say then that the acting here is good. Edlund and Hunt feel like these characters. If anything, we don't necessarily get a baseline for the latter. Part of that is she is asleep when we meet her. We hear her panicked voice as David tries to figure out if he should do what she is asking. That worked for me. They feel like a couple, so I believed the decisions made here. Credit to them both.
All that is left then is filmmaking. I thought this was shot well. The cinematography and the framing of the shots worked for me. We are in the same location so that helps as well. There is an over-the-top effect with blood spray. It doesn’t look like CGI which impressed me. I wasn't expecting it so it made me laugh. Other than that, I thought bringing what was done to life was good. It seemed like the effects were practical. The soundtrack also works. I like what they do with the voice coming from Suzy's ear and something done with her voice later as well.
In conclusion, I thought this was a well-made short that I was glad to get the chance to see. I love the concept. We start with seeing David forced to make this horrible decision and then the repercussions from it. Both our actors were good. I thought that the cinematography and framing were good as well as the sound design. This tells a complete story, but I'd be willing to watch more if it was decided to be fleshed out. I'd recommend checking this out if you get the chance as I thoroughly enjoyed this.
My Rating: 8 out of 10