[REVIEW] BITS22 Funny Frights and Unusual Sights Shorts Collection
The Blood in the Snow Film Festival is a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror presenting a variety of programs; the Funny Frights & Unusual Sights feature is one of them. I’ll be reviewing seven shorts from it. They don’t share a common theme or setting as a whole, so all of them will give you a distinct feeling and experience.
As most are not even 15 minutes long, and all of them try to surprise you at some point, I’d advise you to check out the whole program. It’s perfect for when you just want a relaxing time with, maybe, a few laughs. However, a few of them definitely stand out a lot more than others. You can feel the care and the effort to produce new ideas, all supported by visuals, narrative, and acting.
Both Damned Supper (Dir. Ariel Hansen) and Oldtimers (Dir. Brian Quintero) have interesting ideas, but end up not developing them in satisfying ways. The first one guarantees a good time because of the funny surprise near the end; it’s well done and supplements a very cool death scene (even though the visual effects weaken it a little). Oldtimers is kind of similar; We have a reunion of eccentric and mysterious “artists.” After a few minutes, it’s easy to predict who they are and what is going to happen, making things somewhat boring. But an unexpected event at the end brings a smile to your face and makes the experience less forgettable.
Itty Bitty Izzy (Dir. Ryan Couldrey) and Fieldtrip (Dirs. Soren Bendt, Paul Arion) know what they want you to feel, and they do well at it. Itty Bitty Izzy is really solid; a funny short with nice dialogue, timing, and action scenes. If it were longer and used the time to explore more horrifying (but funny) ideas, the short would’ve been one of my favorites. Fieldtrip pulls you in and makes you intrigued about the journey of the lonely astronaut exploring a new planet to survive.
While the ones before were interesting and good watches, the next 3 are shorts you need to check out. Last Christmas (Dir. Ryan Port) follows Alice, who, trying to impress her friends, attempts to capture Santa. But in the middle of the night, she has to ask for her sister’s help because she had made him fall and smash his head against the glass table. Creepy kids are the bread and butter of horror, and when Alice, who probably watched too many CSI and serial killer shows, started explaining how they should get rid of the body, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Stop-motion is right up my alley, so when I saw Secret Santa (Dir. Lynn Kristmanson), I knew I was in for a ride. Robin, like all kids, wanted to visit Santa’s house, and he did it. But we quickly figure out something is wrong when we see 4 four Santas instead of one. The reveal of who they actually are and their designs are excellent and fit perfectly the erring feeling stop-motion already has. Secret Santa is also supported by great dialogue. You can’t go wrong with this one.
The focus of Death & the Mysteries of Raising Powerful Children (Dir. Joel Richardson) is being beautiful. Really, the art direction is fantastic, mainly the color palette, and that isn’t a surprise because Joel Richardson has worked as an art director on many shows. A couple adopts a dog for their daughter, so when they sacrifice him – it’ll be a teaching moment for her. The neighbor Pat, definitely the best character of the whole program, loves dogs and can’t believe the family is capable of something so terrible. I love the antagonistic relationship he has with the family and how appalled he is at everyone just thinking the situation is okay. It’s a great concept, and I really wanted to see how the problem would be solved. The ending is hilarious but a bit sad too. It doesn’t disappoint.
As you can see, the best part about the program is that it certainly has something for everyone. So give it a try, and I'm sure you'll find shorts you'll like there.