Monday, December 23, 2013

Out of One's Misery


Director: Michael Sharpe
Writer: Michael Sharpe (screenplay)
Stars Pat Dortch, Michael Sharpe, Kayli Maree Tolleson and Mahri Shelton
Short - Horror - 15 minutes
Reviewed by Char
3 Out of 5


Out of One's Misery opens with a man in the throes of grieve over his wife and child. He is sitting in a semi-darkened room devoid of sound but for his own grief and memories. A knock at the door breaks the tension and the man goes to answer. He is met by a smooth talking stranger who is has been out searching for his wife and daughter who have mysteriously disappeared. He asks to warm himself by the fire, so the grief stricken man allows him entrance. And as the story unfolds the end will shock you. 

I was sent this film back in September from the director and it got buried in facebook messages. I was excited to see that it was submitted to the film festival of which I am apart of and scrolled back through the messages and found the link to the film. Happy that I didn't have to wait, I pressed play and sat back and enjoyed it.

When the man allowed the stranger entrance to his home, I couldn't help but groan. I said to the screen, "Dude, never let a stranger into your house, they make horror movies out of this scenario." When the twist came, I smiled. I like how Michael Sharpe thinks and it was so subtle that the viewer doesn't have to scratch their head and wonder where it came from. Viewer can sit back and enjoy. 

The main character David (Pat Dortch) was very believable in his grief and gave a great performance. I felt a few tears well up over his anguish and upset. The stranger Sanford (Michael Sharpe) was smooth and melodic in his interaction with David. His questions to David finally push to far and David's memory is called into play and the ramifications of them leave to a startling conclusion. Beautifully shot with awesome sound effects of voices and the deceased surrounding David. All-in-all Out of One's Misery is a great short film. I wish Michael all the best with film festivals; he has a winner that everyone should experience a trip down memory lane. 

2 comments:

  1. All I can say is thank horror we have this blog..another great review by Chat Harden!

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  2. Thank you Liane! :) It was a fun short film.

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