Out of One’s Misery Review

  

Horror Short – Starring Pat Dortch, Michael Sharpe, Kayli Maree Tolleson, Mahri Shelton. Written/Directed by Michael Sharpe 2013

A man grieving for the loss of his wife and daughter is visited by a sinister stranger.

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing Michael Sharpe’s multi award winning 2011 short, Deviling. He went on to direct The Destruction Artist in 2012, an emotional and powerful short film based on the monologue of the same name by Pulitzer Prize winner, Michael Cunningham. October 2013 saw Sharpe return with Out of One’s Misery, in which he also stars as the creepy Sanford. The chilling fifteen minute short is the tale of madness, guilt and regret where nothing is quite what it seems.

In a secluded log cabin David (Pat Dortch) drowns his sorrows in a bottle of bourbon. His voice over, accompanied by a sombre musical score, reveals that his wife and daughter have recently passed and that, ‘Everyone seems to have disappeared’. The muted colours throughout the film define the natural textures of the cabin’s interior and reflect a bleak, faded world where it’s possible David is the last man standing. And raises the question … What has happened to everyone? When David is visited by the strange and unnerving Sanford (Michael Sharpe), it’s easy to doubt David’s safety.

 

Dortch plays the grieving husband and father beautifully, portraying a broken man who has nothing left to lose, while Sharpe is so convincing as the creepy Sanford that you’ll find yourself wanting to shout, ‘Don’t let him in!’ at the screen. With the use of close ups very much a feature of Out of One’s Misery, Sharpe forces the audience up close and personal with his characters’ inner turmoil; and places them at close quarters with one particularly gory scene. 

Everything about this short film is flawless from the claustrophobic setting, the haunting music score, to the well paced and clever plot. Out of One’s Misery continues to show that Sharpe is spot on at creating neatly executed, beautifully shot and disturbing tales of twisted minds; and delivering them effortlessly. I really hope a feature is on its way soon.

5 out of 5 

You can watch Out of One's Misery online at http://vimeo.com/75797781

And follow the film on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/outofonesmisery?fref=ts

To read my review of Deviling, first published in 2012, and watch the movie, please see below.

Deviling Review

Horror Short – Starring Robert Haulbrook, Jodi Essex, Tommy Allen Taylor. Written/Directed by Michael Sharpe (2011)

 

A jilted mortician has trouble accepting a relationship is over and decides on some nightmarish payback.

Deviling is Michael Sharpe’s second directorial offering, following 2010’s darkly disturbing horror short Monomaniacal. Deviling is a story of rejection and revenge, and is a horrifying reminder that none of us know what another person is capable of. The 14 minute film has been well received on the festival circuit, winning Best Narrative Fiction at the Carrboro Film Festival 2011, as well as Best Actor at the same festival for Robert Haulbrook’s portrayal of Ronald.

 

The film plunges us into the cold, clinical, lifeless world of Ronald. The lack of colour in Ronald’s lab scenes, as well as the corpse (Tommy Allen Taylor) on the slab, remind us that this is a place for the dead, and provides an eerie contrast with the warm, earthy tones of ex Sharlene’s (Jodi Essex) home. But when Ronald makes an appearance in Sharlene’s bathroom, his chilling presence drains the colour – the life – from the room.

The music score begins with a simple and haunting piano but rises to a climax at certain points in the film, mirroring Ronald’s ever increasing disturbing behaviour. Deviling is an impressive short film, reminiscent of the macabre tales of Edgar Allen Poe or even 1955’s and 1985’s TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and provides compulsive viewing with some uncomfortable-to-watch moments. Ronald threatens Sharlene that he will, ‘Make sure your nightmares come true’, and while this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this particular nightmare played out on screen, the tightly written plot, excellent production values and the superb performances from its small cast give the story a fresh, solid and unique slant. 

Robert Haulbrook is creepily convincing as the mortician declining into madness, a role that Michael Sharpe wrote with Haulbrook in mind. Sharpe has the ability to create sinister characters that drag their victims into their dark and demented worlds with ease, both in Deviling and Monomaniacal, and I eagerly await what he will do next.

4 out of 5

You can watch Deviling online at http://vimeo.com/35602557