Things ain’t exactly peachy for the young protagonist (Joshua Kaufman) of the short film Slapface; he spends the late afternoons wandering the cold, dead forest that surrounds his home pining for his dead mother. Nights are spent refusing medication and playing an abusive face slapping game with his distant father (Nick Gregory)…so that’s double depressin’. What makes life tolerable for our hero is the relationship he develops with the monster (Lukas Hassel) that dwells in those aforementioned wicked woods…but just what is the nature of his beastly bestie?
Comprised of an extremely somber aesthetic, emphasized not only by the pitch-black elements, but also by the gorgeous muted color palette (featuring cool greys, stark browns, and plenty of twilight skies), Writer/Director Jeremiah Kipp has presented something truly memorable for horror hounds to enjoy; particularly those that enjoy a strong human element running through their creature feature. Speaking of that, the creature presented here is also understated, and features a nice, subtle style (courtesy of Special Effects Artist Beatrice Sniper) that really works within the more “realistic” tone of the piece.
All in all, Slapface is a rock solid, bite-sized fright flick that I’m sure will be pleasin’ to your eerie eyeballs. Be on the lookout for it as it enters it’s next round of film festival showings; and keep your putrid peepers on filmmaker Kipp as well as he has a lot to offer our beloved horror biz (such as the Lovecraftian awesomeness that is Black Wake, which your’s cruelly reviewed right here)!
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