As a horror film junkie, I eat up any and all of it, from gargantuan-budgeted Hollywood mainstays to indie short films made on whatever means present themselves. The 13-minute "Mural" leverages a solid conceptual basis on its way to epitomizing horror filmmaking at its most nascent and grass roots.
Over the course of what we presume to be a school's vacation break, a young commissioned artist arrives to begin painting a mural inside the cavernous, ages-old schoolhouse. His only cohabitant within the building is a sporadically appearing but seemingly detached young janitor. As the artist's work commences, he's subjected to odd sensory anomalies heard, felt, and seen within the structure. Perversely, his early-stage mural begins to manifest painted images he didn't create and can't account for.
So many feature films originate from a short film shot on a barebones budget while showing enough conceptual promise to grow into something expansive. Here's hoping "Mural" provides that opportunity for its filmmakers.
-
Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!
