Scars short film review
★★★★
Directed by: Diego Di Iorio
Written by: Diego Di Iorio
Starring: Charity Rose
,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight
Darkness can be terrifying! People (especially children) are afraid of what might be hiding within it. Could it be ghosts or horrible monsters?
A little girl wakes up in a bedroom, inside a large, darkened house at night time. She hears strange noises and goes to investigate. Things soon turn sinister, as it becomes clear that there is an evil entity living within the house.
So many many films have been made about haunted properties and this one will most likely send chills down the viewer’s spine! It has all the elements a haunted-house-horror-film needs. The hero is alone inside the house, hearing a variety of strange noises, such as doors screeching, a melody that appears to be generated by a music box, footsteps and the crying of a baby! Apart from the light of the candle that the girl is holding, there is darkness all around her! There are also brief, but petrifying images and a couple of jump scares!
The mise-en-scene is very well executed. The clothing and furniture give the impression that this story is taking place in maybe the nineteenth century. The lighting and cinematography are also amazing, creating a very spooky atmosphere!
The protagonist, played by Charity Rose, is the only person seen in the film and she delivers a great performance! She is very convincing as an innocent girl, who is by herself in the dark, afraid and breathing heavily. As there is no speech, the audience relies on her face expressions in order to understand her emotions and Rose excels at that!
Two of the strongest elements are definitely the sound and music. Along with the darkness, these two are what mostly make Scars such a scary viewing! Throughout the film there are all sorts of strange noises to be heard, whose sources are not revealed, letting the audience wonder whether they are coming from the world of the living or the dead! John Also Bennett makes an outstanding contribution with his frightening music, that creates a feeling of dread and of course supports the jump scares!
This is a very dark film. It is so for two reasons: first because of the darkness that dominates from start to finish and secondly due to the terror and suspense that the darkness brings, and it does so very effectively!
Scars is a very well made horror film. And like The Blair Witch Project, it proves that films do not need CGI in order to have a significant impact.
Whoever watches this film will probably never sleep with the lights off again!
#JasonKnight
