Tomorrow, the St. Lawrence International Film Festival will be putting on a special gala (in Potsdam, NY) where they are screening the Audience Award winner (for best Narrative Picture) from the Tribeca Film Festival – the dramatic horror movie Here Alone.
One of the best little glitches that occurred at last years St. Lawrence International Film Festival was when I sat awaiting the showing of The Corpse of Anna Fritz. Instead of the foreign flick beginning, the projectionist mistakenly began to screen Here Alone director Rod Blackhurst’s 2014 short film Night Swim. Thankfully, the festival worker did not stop the compact flick, allowing it to play out before starting the full length feature.
As a nice lead in to the special screening of the motion picture tomorrow, I thought that I would review Blackhurst’s 2014 offering. Including both movie and credits, the film runs a comfortable three minutes and fifty-four seconds – making it one of the easiest viewings you’ll ever enjoy.
Feeling like an old-time horror film, the movie revolves around, you guessed it, swimming at night. The swimmer is Eve (Megalyn Echikunwoke), a young woman performing laps in her stunning backyard pool. Blackhurst (along with writer/co-director Bryce McGuire) amps up the ominous feeling from the very beginning, as a crackling retro tune (that resembles some of the music used in The Shining) emanates from a ghetto blaster. While soothingly dropping to the bottom of the deep end to relax, she spots what looks to be the figure of someone standing outside the pool. She immediately thinks that it must be her significant other. When she breaks the surface, no one is there. Upon a second dive, she once again sees something, this time feeling more panicked. I’ll leave you to interpret who. . . or what, it is.
Masterfully using Eve’s seclusion as a way to amp up the chill factor, Blackhurst and McGuire utilize shadow and light, close-ups and longer range shots, sound and the lack thereof, to make a flick that resonates with us. Feeling like a combination of classic horror mixed with modern episode introductions to television series like Supernatural or Fringe, it gives us the heebie-jeebies, while also leaving us wanting more. It is an interesting premise that horror fans would love to see expanded upon – as there is clearly more meat on the bone here.
Blackhurst, along with his fellow filmmakers, will be in attendance tomorrow night for the screening of Here Alone. If you live in the area and love film, look up the St. Lawrence International Film Festival and try to make it to the event (which will be hosted by Mark Valley – Boston Legal, Human Target, Fringe). The audience should be in for one heck of a ride, judging from the thrillingly eerie Night Swim. Check out the short film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5mPELbWVDk – I’m sure you’ll lap it up.