Dead Northern 2024 Festival Review – Student Shorts

Tasty Tongue (Directed by Pearl Zheng) 

A-Zhe has a bitter soul (Shang-Ting Chung), continuously cursing others, but when he encounters Mia (Wen-Ling Cheng), a beautiful and mysterious woman, he develops a grotesque appetite for human tongues. The curiously disturbed story of A-Zhe is one of great significance, with director Pearl Zheng basing the film on an urban legend from her hometown.

She notes that she composed this moral tale of A-Zhe’s sour disposition by piecing together a more complex and whole story, with Zheng’s creative zing adding a newfound depth to this nauseating saga of events. Fleshing out the film are the visual effects that provide an immersive experience as we become lured into the bloodied carnage throughout this eclectic and unique short horror. 

Wick (Directed by Kayling Taylor)

In Wick, a perilous candle is bound to a young girl’s life, and if the flame is extinguished, she will meet a deadly fate. This gripping tale of cursed embers is fraught with tension and unexpected surprises that reach out and unnerve from deep within. Wick is darkly original, with its ominous and subversive result speaking to the creativity of student filmmakers.

Director Kayling Taylor is not afraid of taking the unbeaten path as the short film continuously throws the viewer through the myriad of unexpected twists and turns that Wick so creatively enacts. The film’s impressive capabilities are made all the more moving at the hands of Taylor’s outstanding directorial efforts, with the young filmmaker being only twelve years of age! With the likes of the unmissable Wick, Taylor is destined for a thriving future in the world of filmmaking. 

Strings (Directed by Ava Pearson, Eleanor Smith and Nina Zandvliet) 

In a bid to reconnect their childhood friendship, Sally (Calypso Lewis) and Poppy (Coco Jones) venture to Sicily on a dream summer vacation. However, when Poppy’s abrasive friend Alex (Ashton Hunt) joins the trip and creates a hostile dynamic, Sally finds herself becoming increasingly drawn to a lone puppet found at the villa. Strings operates on a less is more approach where implications and subtleties dredge up an intense horrifying energy that enforces the idea that what the viewer is unable to see is far more terrifying than the outward motions of overblown displays.

Underneath the surface, Strings is an examination of the constraints that lurk within coercive relationships, particularly how one’s identity can be clouded or even lost in toxic friendships. This poignant exploration uses the guise of horror and its ability to fashion insightful thematics with chilling, intense displays of eeriness to create a short film that is both meaningful and impactful. 

Did You Get That? (Directed by Jude Brownhill) 

Budding presenter Ross (Robyn Misha) is having doubts about having nonbeliever Sean (Bob Tapper) as their co-host on their supernatural investigation show. However, hosting dynamics are the least of their concern when they encounter a deadly force whilst investigating reports of a demonic presence known as ‘The Mammon’. Jude Brownhill’s previous credits include the experimental horror short The Lacuna Virus (2022), which showcased Brownhill’s creative flair in horror creation. His latest short feature, Did You Get That? expands upon his ability to stir distinct one-of-a-kind pieces that do not just stand out but also stimulate a sense of expressionism that prides itself on evocative vividness and unexpectedness. As such, what Did You Get That? conveys is a bold, monstrous affair that offers a cinematic insight into the haunting world of paranormal activity.

The format of an on-screen supernatural show is reminiscent of meta-esque filmmaking, allowing no space for predictability as Brownhill scripts in plenty of self-awareness and quips as Ross and Sean film their show. Did You Get That? is a memorable and effective exercise into analogue horror that perfectly balances explorations into otherworldly creatures while grounding itself as a tale of gritty realism. 

Next Please (Directed by Eva Bonnevits) 

Next Please traverses the intersection between animation and horror, exploring how the infinite capabilities of art-based filmmaking allows for unconstrained and unconventional storytelling due to the medium’s infinite flexibility. The short tackles the dreaded premise of a hellish doctor’s appointment that never ends. Eva Bonnevits’ undeniable talents are brimming with an energy that infuses Next Please with a form of kinetic yet dreaded terror where hyperbolic animations and powerful effects create a film that can only be described as a kaleidoscopic nightmare.

With animated art, anything is possible, which subsequently allows for the results to have no bounds. Next Please thrives within this notion, with every image belonging to a larger series of disturbing stills that form together to create an undeniably unnerving short surrealist film that cinematically represents the terrifying, illogical visions that come from the subconscious psyche. 

Dead Body (Directed by J Taylor-Jones) 

Dead Body is a soul-gripping, deliberately confrontational and conversational review into an incredibly worthy and critical truth. Director J Taylor-Jones is open about their filmmaking statement, declaring that media is a vessel for them to explore the corporeal, affective processes of personhood that come with being transgender. As such, Dead Body follows a non-binary individual (played by the stellar Andrew Houghton) who must survive the night as they become trapped by an antagonistic presence.

The ominous, metaphorical narrative is complemented by the standout visual palette that is weaponised throughout the film, with the striking crimson lighting melting with the viciously theatrical orchestral soundscape to create an end product that does not just startle and scare but also provokes an introspective reaction that ensures that Dead Body will not be forgotten.

The Bloke in the Boot (Directed by Taylor Caddick) 

Northern city boy Mogg (Jude Pollitt) accidentally kills his driving examiner (Stewart James Barham) after a failed test, leaving him to call his lifelong friend Gaps (Oliver Barry-Brook). With a body stuffed in the boot, the pair embark on a road trip to Wales to dispose of the mess. Part situational horror, part traditional British comedy as we join Mogg and Gaps on what can be defined as one of the most stressful types of road trips.

This thoroughly entertaining short acts as an exaggerated imitation of Northern British bonds and colloquialisms, which are built upon by the film’s self-deprecating humour, which is sure to provide belly laughs amidst the dramatic thriller roots additionally explored. Another specificity not to miss is The Bloke in the Boot’s genuinely admirable visual work that displays the grand cinematic views that the UK has to offer. With the brazen duo’s antics, the unapologetically hilarious British cynicism, and the impressive displays of the countryside’s landscape, The Bloke in the Boot is a must-watch for any audience member. 

The Journey Home (Directed by Noah Lei Underwood) 

The intense voyage of showcasing feelings of dysphoria and monstrosity that The Journey Home takes the viewer on is not to be underestimated. Director Noah Lei Underwood showcases two characters, ‘The Man’ (Louis Norton) and ‘The Creature’ (played by director Lei Underwood), who intertwine to exhibit what it means to feel trapped, caged and ensnared by one’s own flesh.

The film uses facets of nature and surrealism bundled up in a monstrous carcass to create a spectacle worthy of critical acclaim. Here, horror becomes a conduit that employs body horror and its gritty means of fleshy displays of violence to translate the complexity of the trans experience to a wider audience, lending crucial, deserted gravity to a situation that is often overlooked.

You can catch the films Friday 27th September at this years festival, tickets here!