[Editorial] Top 5 Shorts from Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2021

I was lucky enough to virtually attend the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival (HIFF) this year, which ran September 2nd through the 5th in Santa Ana, CA. HIFF makes a point to highlight short films, and there were so many gems, it was hard to narrow it down. Here are my top 5 short film recommendations from HIFF 2021:

In These Parts (2020), Directed by Gavin Michael Booth

An 8-minute film makes for a tight story. We experience the point of view of a young man, going through pictures of himself with a woman. There are beer bottles scattered throughout his home, suggesting he has been drinking, and that makes it harder to trust what we see through his eyes. As the minutes go by, the images get progressively stranger, and we see the woman from the photos in his house, doing various actions in a few different outfits. It’s all a bit disorienting, until the final few seconds tie it all together for a shocking end.

I Live Alone (2021), Directed by Krsy Fox

Parker (Nyaling Marenah) is a teenage girl sent to stay with her Aunt Len (Bonnie Aarons) while her mother is in the hospital. The visit with her Aunt Len is uncomfortable, because Len prefers to be alone and takes several opportunities to express this to Parker. Within the house is a room that’s off limits and Len often forgets that Parker is there. Parker has some normal teenage-girl troubles, including prom, planning for college, and making plans for the future with her boyfriend. On top of all that, she is worried about her mom’s health, and is increasingly concerned with what her aunt is up to. A surprising ending and some good gore make this film a fun watch.

[Within the Frame] (2020), Directed by Jay Kay

Based on a New Jersey urban legend, this 6-minute story blends folk horror with paranormal vibes, for a very creepy end result. The legend says that, in the 1990s, two people walking on Shades of Death Road found hundreds of Polaroid photos depicting disturbing images. They  alerted the police but when they returned, all the photos were gone.

Writer and director Jay Kay takes this unsettling story and shows us a woman named Sarah, out for a walk, who finds dozens of Polaroids on the ground. I won’t say anything more, you will just have to watch it.

Tutu Grande (2018), Directed by Derek Sitter

The tagline “pain is temporary, trauma is forever” perfectly encapsulates the message of this film. The details unfold slowly, as we watch a middle-aged man in a cowboy hat speak to a teenage boy strapped to a table. The cowboy is being cagey, talking around something that becomes clear by the end of the film. He is threatening the boy, but verbally, not physically. Most of the run time I was tense, anticipating an explosion of violence. Another ending I did not predict offers payoff for the 13 minutes of tension.

The Lovers (2020), Directed by Avra Fox-Lerner

Hazel (Meryl Jones Williams) goes out to get some takeout for her roommate Andy (Annapurna Sriram), and meets Sam (Patrick Vaill) in a coffee shop. Hazel and Sam seem to know each other, maybe they have been on dates before. Sam suggests they go for a walk, and protests saying she promised food for Andy. Sam lightly chastises Hazel, and spends their walk telling her that she is codependent and shouldn’t enable her roommate so much. I wasn’t a big fan of Sam’s attitude, but Hazel brings him back to her home. While you might be able to predict what happens next, my favorite things about this film are the characters and relationships.

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