Most horror films jolt you with cheap scares, but ‘Won’t Be Long Now’ unsettles in a way that festers. Billy Nawrocki (Writer/Director/Star) almost entirely orchestrates a slow, creeping madness – trapping the audience inside the spiraling paranoia of a father who can’t shake the feeling that something (or someone) is watching.
Told predominantly through voice-over, Nawrocki’s performance is a slow-burn breakdown, a man grasping at normality as fear takes root. His daughter is born, a moment of joy, but a shadow looms over his happiness – an unshakable paranoia that something is lurking. The film tightens its grip, drawing us into his fractured mind, where fear and fatherhood become inseparable.
A glimpse into the past should be comforting, nostalgic. Instead, for the protagonist, it’s devastating. There, in the background, it stands, a presence that was always there, just out of sight. The past and present collapse in on themselves. He spirals – self-medicates, disintegrates, drowns in a horror far worse than monsters. He was never safe. His family was never safe.
Technically, this is horror done refreshingly right. The skilled cinematography (also by Nawrocki) is flawless. Editing is cut with surgical precision – creating a tense rhythm that pulses with unease. The sound design swells and constricts around it.
This film is essentially an autopsy of paranoia, an unraveling of sanity. Nawrocki has produced something utterly haunting. His control over the film’s atmosphere, pacing, and emotional weight is a feat of true craftsmanship. It’s rare to see such a singular creative vision executed with this level of precision. A short that grips and unsettles for 20-minutes straight. Highly recommended.
