"The Captured Bird" (Horror Short), Dir. by Jovanka Vuckovic
People have asked me, "Hey Horror Nerd! Why do you bother to review short films?" Huh? First of all, horror is horror, and that's for me but second, it's a ridiculous question. A good film is a good film. I have seen ten minute films that blow away most 2 hour horror monstrosities that come out these days. But mainly, I love the short form horror film. I enjoy seeing good stories told in a compressed time frame, as it forces the filmmaker to make their point quickly and leave an impression.
With "The Captured Bird", rising filmmaker Jovanka Vuckovic has brought us a film that, in less than ten minutes, told a surreal, visually stunning story that creeped me out, which is NOT easy to do any more!
With "The Captured Bird", rising filmmaker Jovanka Vuckovic has brought us a film that, in less than ten minutes, told a surreal, visually stunning story that creeped me out, which is NOT easy to do any more!
The plot is extremely simple. A young girl, while out spending the day with her family, is drawn to a huge, mysterious mansion. Something compels her to enter and, once inside, she witnesses the appearance of five terrifying creatures, and then.......well, I certainly will not give it away. But, that's it folks! There's no dialogue whatsoever. The entire story is told through the expressions on this young girl's face, the visions she is presented with, and through the house itself, which I very much consider a character in and of itself.
As I stated before, the visuals are stunning and lush. The exterior shots of the house are amazing. (I won't say here how it was done. Get the DVD and listen to the excellent audio commentary to find out.) The interiors are equally impressive, and there are clever nods to Argento, Bava and Lynch.
The effects are very cool, and, I am happy to say that most of them were done by practical means, with CGI used sparingly but effectively. It does the Horror Nerd's heart good to see filmmakers make excellent use of practical effects, and to know how to apply CGI effectively, and only when necessary.
The performance by the main character, known only as "The Young Girl" was delivered with amazing skill by child actress Skyler Wexler, who has gone on to star at the young Carrie in the upcoming remake of "Carrie".
As I stated before, the visuals are stunning and lush. The exterior shots of the house are amazing. (I won't say here how it was done. Get the DVD and listen to the excellent audio commentary to find out.) The interiors are equally impressive, and there are clever nods to Argento, Bava and Lynch.
The effects are very cool, and, I am happy to say that most of them were done by practical means, with CGI used sparingly but effectively. It does the Horror Nerd's heart good to see filmmakers make excellent use of practical effects, and to know how to apply CGI effectively, and only when necessary.
The performance by the main character, known only as "The Young Girl" was delivered with amazing skill by child actress Skyler Wexler, who has gone on to star at the young Carrie in the upcoming remake of "Carrie".
Writer/Director Jovanka Vuckovic is a rising star in the horror community. She is an award winning filmmaker who spent several years as a visual effects artist, winning the Gemini Award for best visual effects, and also served as Editor-in-Chief for Rue Morgue magazine. She has rapidly become one of the most respected figures in horror film, and is recognized as one of the top ten most important women in horror.
"The Captured Bird" was produced by Jason Lapeyre and was executive produced by Guillermo del Toro. The Special Edition DVD is available NOW at www.thecapturedbird.com. I HIGHLY advise that you invest in this DVD. First of all, for a short film, the bonus features are amazing. Second, fans like us NEED to support films like this so they can continue to be made.
With "The Captured Bird", Ms. Vockovic has brought us something special, and we need to see more films like this. Please make the effort to check it out today. You will NOT be disappointed. The Horror Nerd stakes his reputation on it!
Horror Nerd Rating: 4 of 5 Broken Eyeglasses!
"The Captured Bird" was produced by Jason Lapeyre and was executive produced by Guillermo del Toro. The Special Edition DVD is available NOW at www.thecapturedbird.com. I HIGHLY advise that you invest in this DVD. First of all, for a short film, the bonus features are amazing. Second, fans like us NEED to support films like this so they can continue to be made.
With "The Captured Bird", Ms. Vockovic has brought us something special, and we need to see more films like this. Please make the effort to check it out today. You will NOT be disappointed. The Horror Nerd stakes his reputation on it!
Horror Nerd Rating: 4 of 5 Broken Eyeglasses!
Please note, NO claim of copyright is made on ANY of the images in this review!