Written and Directed by: Todd Spence, Zak White
Starring: Whitney Gries, Patrick Keane, and Travina Springer
Reviewed by: Brett Gallman (@brettgallman)
"Is it just me, or was that not there a second ago?"
Todd Spence and Zak White, the duo behind the diabolically fun “Your Date is Here” return just in time for the Halloween season with “Where is It,” another round of domestic demonic infestation. Like their previous effort, this one depicts a playful encounter with an unholy force that lurks somewhere just beyond the frame. You feel its presence being hinted at through a sparse but evocative plot development before it’s unleashed, not unlike a good carnival or haunted house gag. It’s formulaic, but it’s the sort of ritualistic formula you crave from this time of the year, when you’ll stand outside for an hour in chilly weather just to experience some scares for a few minutes.
In this short, Em (Whitney Gries) has returned home from an obviously grueling family reunion but takes the time to Facetime her friend Sara (Travina Springer) to thank her for housesitting. Sara assures her it was a pretty uneventful stint, save for a mirror falling from the wall and shattering everywhere. No big deal, Em insists—after all, it came with the house anyway and has no sentimental value. Upon swinging her phone back around from the wall, something peculiar rests hazily in the distance: it’s obvious something has been scrawled upon the wall, but it lingers there, unremarked upon by the oblivious women in a brilliant bit of suspense. Suddenly, however, Sara notices it, prompting Em to turn around and read the ominous message: “where is it,” the blood-smeared scrawl reads, offering nothing beyond this cryptic question. Laughing it off as a prank, Em congratulates Sara on her attempt at a gag, at least until she realizes something is very amiss in her house.
Spence and White string viewers along for the remaining 30 seconds or so, eagerly building to a fun reveal. Sure, it’s the equivalent of someone jumping out and yelling “boo!”, but there’s a place for that, especially when it’s delivered in such sharp, efficient fashion. At only 3 minutes long, “Where is It” is expressly concerned with building up to one good scare—and if there’s one immortal maxim about this time of the year, it’s that everyone deserves at least one of those. Let this short—and its authentic performances, a clever Facetime gimmick, and one very unsettling ghoul—get your season started off on the right, raucous note.
"Where is It" is currently available on Youtube.
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