Movie Reviews (Another Hole in the Head Film Fest): Horror Shorts — The Boy with the Sombrero, Hell Hath No Furie, Wendigo, Azrahel, and La Noria

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December 30, 2019

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Joseph Perry is the Film Festival Editor for Horror Fuel; all film festival related queries and announcements should be sent to him at josephperry@gmail.com. He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Gruesome Magazine, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right. A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.

The Boy with the Sombrero

Written and directed by Constantien Konstin

While walking with his mother (Dawn Briceño), a young boy (Cristiano Briceño) sees the titular character (Broadie Briceño) nearby, but his mother does not. After returning home and spending time with his father (David Briceño), the boy learns that he wasn’t merely seeing things. This slow burner pays off nicely with a sudden shocking climax. Kudos to Alicia Barry for her impressive makeup and special effects work.

Hell Hath No Furie

Written, directed, and animated by Kitty Faingold

This fun, wicked short boasts a unique style of hand-drawn animation heavy on red and black. Its tale of three furies hanging out and getting on each other’s nerves is both comical and violent. The music and sound design by Max Mannone round out Faingold’s short well. You can watch Hell Hath No Furie now at https://vimeo.com/372211393.

Wendigo

This short from Large Ark Films shows how three friends learn the hard way that you shouldn’t drink, smoke pot, and urinate on trees in the woods if you know what is good for you. The Wendigo mask design is simple but impressive, and cowriters/codirectors Denton & Palomar serve up some creepy atmosphere. Peter Lightning’s synthesizer score helps add eerieness to the proceedings.

Azrahel

Writer/director Harry Valentine has crafted a chilling short about two grieving parents (Briza Covarrubias as Vivian and Gary M. Soldati as James) who go to terrifying lengths to revive their dead son (Sam Gasch as James Jr.) in Dr. Lopez’s (Sheila Guerrero-Edmiston) morgue, as a confused detective (Cecilia Bryant) tries in vain to maintain order. Unsettling from beginning to end, this short is terrific as a stand-alone tale but has the potential to be fleshed out into a creepy feature.

La Noria

An absolutely stunning animated work from writer/director Carlos Baena, an award-winning animator who has worked on such features as Finding Dory, Wall-E, and Toy Story 3. Every CG frame is gorgeous, and the short has a darkly beautiful mise-en-scène to match its bittersweet story. A young, grieving boy who attempts to build a toy roller coaster finds himself pursued by loathsome monsters. It’s a truly captivating piece that you can watch for yourself now.