Thursday 4 September 2014

INK

"INK" (2014, Andy Stewart, Shining Example Films, 21st Century Renaissance Man) is the third short film from the twisted and talented mind of Andy Stewart who brought us "Split" (http://horrorev.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/split.html) and its predecessor, the sickeningly squelchy "Dysmorphia" (http://horrorev.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/dysmorphia.html).

As the third installment of Andy's Body Horror collection it is a tough competition, but this one might be my new favourite.

We follow a reclusive nameless man (Sammy Hayman) who has found an interesting and cost effective alternative to being tattooed. Naturally, it's also graphically gory and very dark.

I don't want to spend too much time discussing plot because, like all of the previous films, it's best to go in with no real idea of what is going to happen and let the piece speak for itself. However, I will get nice and chatty about how amazing the makeup and effects are. Grant Mason FX, ladies and gentlemen, now here's a team that can make you wish you'd not bothered with lunch!

Wow. The gore-o-meter was going mental as I watched this. The blood, the goop, the slow, meticulous shots and that bloody stanley blade! Everything from the texture of the effects to the way things bled and oozed was realistic to the point of putting me off my cake. And nothing usually puts me off cake.

The piece is beautifully shot, managing to play with close up angles that make you feel very uncomfortably close to the action.

The character is monstrous but you find yourself feeling for him in his agonies and his terrible and selfish determination to turn his body into art. The end scene is just made with the giggle-sobbing and the sheer despair on the character's face. Truly mesmerising stuff. Hayman creates an outwardly pathetic 'freak' character who's prepared to go to some extreme levels to achieve his goals. His performance brought a sick smile to my face more than once.

A short horror which is paced so well that it feels like a feature, with the viewer both caught intently following the unfolding story and also desperate to look away from the painful sight of it.

An absolute must see. Check out which film festivals are showing this piece of awesome near you!

 
[Image: Shining Example Films]
 
Hani x

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