'Into The Mud (2016)' is a short film in which a woman wakes up in the forest, injured and naked, and has to outrun a man intent on hunting her down. The flick is a horror-thriller that relies heavily on a late-game reveal which I actually managed to see coming from its opening moments. That was due to subtle clues included in the film, though, rather than the twist itself; it isn't especially predictable, just well-telegraphed. The ending is satisfying enough, although it is marred by a couple of ever-so-slightly iffy special effects, and it's a memorable way to finish a generally straightforward story. The production is generally rather solid, although there are a couple of almost certainly accidental soft shots that distract from the action they're showing. The piece has a decent pace to it, despite being perhaps a tad slow, and it plays into its genre well. Its nudity doesn't feel gratuitous despite the fact that the female lead is naked for the entire picture (and often seen in her entirety, as it were), primarily because it plays directly into its narrative. It isn't sexualised, it compounds the short's overarching theme of vulnerability and it's an almost essential part of the final reveal, even if some clothing certainly could have been justified. The experience isn't massively engaging, but it's entertaining enough and doesn't overstay its welcome. It could have done with a tad more tension, but it's a good effort overall. 6/10.
