La Bête (France, 2022)
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Directed by Joris Laquittant
The excellent French short La Bête is a genre-blender that combines Stephen King and Spielbergian sensibilities with horror elements that I won’t spoil here. Suffice it to say that writer/director Joris Laquittant takes his short through no less than three tonal shifts, each wonderfully and surprisingly building on what game before. Lysandre Robic stars as Nono, a young city boy dropped off at his grandparents’ rural house. The locals take him on a boar hunt, while the sensitive Nono’s heart is not in killing animals. Local legend tells of a monstrous beast that lives in the cornfield. When his grandparents’ dog suddenly disappears, Nono must search in that very place. Cinematographer Plume Fabre marvelously captures the French countryside and the thrilling proceedings. Laquittant masterfully paces and directs, with his ensemble cast members all turning in top-notch performances.
Astrogolem (Germany, 2023)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Directed by Thorsten Fleisch
In the animated short Astrogolem, Nikola Tesla and Alan Turing accidentally release demons into our dimension. The tentacled Tesla also woos fellow scientist Robo-Marie Curie, whose affections lie with a monstrous creature. Director Thorsten Fleisch’s short is a bizarre 6-minute trip through a colorful, gory, futuristic world where surrealism and science fiction meld together.
Chomp (U.S., 2023)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Directed by Suki-Rose Simakis and Cricket Arrison
A local television news studio become a scene of grue-splattered carnage when a new intern (codirector Arrison) transforms from a wannabe newscaster into a bloodthirsty monster in Chomp. Arrison and codirector Suki-Rose Simakis deliver satire with mayhem in this wild short.
Day of the Cyclops (U.S, 2024)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Directed by Justin Edwards
Day of the Cyclops revels in its low-budget special effects and its silliness, both of which are a blast. Myles (Kaylah Dixon) is an aspiring actress who loses an eye during a self-headshot accident. When she discovers the skull of a cyclops in her front yard, she helps the mythological creature come back to life — which isn’t good news for her neighbor Jet (Adam McCabe). Director Justin Edwards crafts a fun, feel-good horror/fantasy comedy that comes highly recommended.
Reviews by Joseph Perry
These short films screen as part of Film Maudit 2.0, which runs June 12–16, 2024 in Los Angeles. For more information, visit https://www.filmmaudit.org/.