HEIRLOOMS
Synopsis
Jaime’s search for healing leads her to restore a family heirloom. What starts as a therapeutic project soon becomes a fight against an ancient evil that has haunted her bloodline for generations.
Review
Writer/director Dan Abramovici’s Heirlooms (Canada, 2025) is the kind of short horror film that tells its tale perfectly in its format but that also leaves you hungering for a feature-length version. It has the vibe of classic 1970s horror but feels fresh and current. Chloe Van Landschoot gives a superb lead performance as Jamie, a young woman rightfully freaked out as she uncovers some odd objects from a certain piece of furniture in her recently deceased mother’s house. Abramovici, who cowrote the screenplay with Peter Lavoie, helms and paces the film marvelously. Boasting production values that rival many a feature film, Heirlooms comes highly recommended for aficionados of eldritch right fare.
YATHOOM
Synopsis
Guilt-ridden after a fatal crash, Layla descends into sleep paralysis where nightmare and memory collide.
Review
Khawla Abdusalam stars as Layla, who is haunted not only by survivor’s guilt after being involved in a car crash that killed a family member, but also seemingly by a supernatural presence in Yathoom (United Arab Emirates, 2025). Writer/director Hana Kazim crafts a great looking, atmospheric chiller that combines grief and ghastliness. Abdusalam gives a fine performance as a young woman tortured by her loss.
OBEY!
Synopsis
OBEY! is a darkly funny, supernatural satire about a pet influencer haunted by the spirit of her dead dog—an exploration of guilt, exploitation, and online performance.
Review
Social media influencers and YouTubers have been meeting their comeuppances in the horror cinema genre so much that it can be considered a full-on subgenre at this point. Writer/director Jordan Wippell offers up a fantastic entry with his short Obey! (U.S., 2025), in which a pet influencer (Paige Phillips) learns the hard way that her dog was unhappy with the balance of their relationship — after his demise. Phillips is super in the role, and Wippell delivers the satirical, spectral goods in this highly entertaining short.
HEIRLOOMS, YATHOOM, and OBEY! screened at FilmQuest, which took place October 23–November 1 in Downtown Provo, Utah. HEIRLOOMS also received its international premiere at Sitges on October 12, 2025.
