SHORT HORROR FILM REVIEW: DEADLY SCARE

The masked killer is an essential part of the slasher genre – the mysterious figure with murder on his mind, pursuing his helpless victim with relentless determination through dark corridors to a final dead end. But who among is truly appreciates the effort it takes to do it properly?

Deadly Scare is a short mockumentary film written, directed by and starring Radi Nikolov that offers us an insight into the mind of killer Mike Weirner. Weirner considers himself to be a professional 'scarer' rather than a villain, and he talks us through the rigorous preparation involved in his job. He doesn't have victims, he has 'customers', and he cares about giving them a truly horrific experience with all the proper horror movie trappings.

The short starts well, with the amiable killer expressing how important it is to get the little details right, like how your mask should look or what surroundings your victi- sorry, customer, should wake up in. There's a glib What We Do In The Shadows vibe to these to-camera segments, and it's pretty clear that Nikolov loves the horror genre. Little touches like framed Jason Vorhees pictures really set the tone well, and there's a great sense of affectionate silliness. It doesn't quite raise a laugh, but it definitely conjures a big smile or two.

Unfortunately the tone doesn't stay consistent throughout and the film takes a bit of a dip once we see Weirner in action. From that moment the film is played straight, and it sadly isn't interesting enough to keep us engaged without the humour. It feels strange to go from comedy to serious so abruptly without returning to comedy for a punchline. If it did this, or kept the tone consistently funny throughout, then the film would feel more satisfying as a whole. 

The film also suffers from poor sound, a common problem when it comes to low budgets. Because Weirner is a masked killer, his voice is quite muffled throughout, especially in the voice-over segments when it would have been reasonable for him to be recording without it. Combined with the flat visuals, it doesn't make for a very pleasant watch.

Deadly Scare is a fun idea with an amusingly silly set up but an ending that ultimately leaves us feeling disappointed for what might have been. As a proof-of-concept it works fine, and the good news is that the short is being developed into a feature. Here's hoping that when Nikolov revisits the character of Wierner he'll be able to deliver a longer, more balanced and more interesting film about the trials and tribulations of a masked killer who just wants to provide quality scares as he murders people.