Zachary Mulla’s short horror film, featuring Kayla Whyte as the protagonist Hayley, narrates a story of a young woman who experiences the paranormal when she’s given an empty crate that emits an odious odor in the middle of the night. While the film is low budget and suffers from mediocre acting, the film succeeds in being unnerving.
Despite its limited production value, the story unfolds in a potentially chilling manner. Mulla sets the ominous tone with his use of lighting and shadow works. The sound effects and editing further enhance the eeriness, giving signals of something unsettling lurking in the dark corners of the story’s frame.
Where Mulla’s horror falls short, however, is in its length, which somewhat detracts from rather inventive, disturbing sequences. The narrative pace creates an unnecessary length, positioning the audience in a lull, just waiting and hoping for the next moment to come.
Overall, this short horror film boasts an unremarkable concept and product, however still manages to build an atmosphere of tension using effective editing and sound and framing. Despite being undermined by the mediocre acting, a few outstanding production values contribute to the overall mood, resulting in a somewhat chilling experience. Nonetheless, its significant flaw – length, unfortunately softens the potential impact that it could well have delivered.
