The Red Room

The Red Room, directed by J.T. Mollner is a surprisingly strong effort. I'll admit, even I shy away from short films, mainly out of ignorance (And the preposition that if it's a short, it's likely experimental and weird). The film opens with two men, Dr. Hadley Prince (Played by Nathan Russell) and Nick Rowe (Mikos Zarros), approaching each other atop a roof in the middle of the night.

The horror fanatic in me is immediately screaming "Walk the OTHER WAY! He's gonna chop your head off!" While that doesn't happen, it quickly becomes clear that something just as weird is going down. The men discuss some type of deal they have planned, though it's not completely clear what. From this opening shot through to the end, the cinematography is obviously well done... the use of slow motion and reverse playback is a worthy technique that only heightens the tension and curiosity about what is to come.

Soon after, Nick arrives at what appears to be the doctor's apartment. They discuss the plan - and the rules, while still not being entirely open to the audience about what is about to happen. Once the rules are disclosed, and a slow motion tracking shot is complete, the camera swoops ahead abruptly, effectively throwing the viewer off guard at the moment that the horrifying payoff is shown.

The acting and the story are the two things that set this movie apart from mainstream fair more than anything. It's straight to the point, the ending is surprising, and you don't feel cheated. Rather, I'd want to see a full-length version of what I've seen here, because I didn't want it to end!