Last One Screaming

Plot

What happens after the final girl survives a horror film? Ashley, the sole survivor of a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods with her friends, finds herself at the mercy of an FBI psychologist during an interrogation. Is she crazy, or is there more to her story?

Cast

No idea, just a girl most well known for 90210 and Entourage apparently.

Verdict

Ever wondered what happens to the "Final girl" after the credits roll at the end of a horror movie? I mean think of the things they've done and the sheer volume of dead friends they have to explain! Well truth be told I'd never exactly thought about it, until now.........and it kind of makes for a fantastic premise that is best served in the format of a short film.

Standing at around 11 minutes in length it sees our final girl in police custody telling her story to the detectives. Of course the story involves demons and all manner of craziness and she's not being taken seriously!

I personally loved this, I thought it was a neat little concept and for the most part the creators deliver on it as well. If I had done this I'd have doubled the runtime but they do a decent job of telling the limited story anyway and it all looks great for its budget as well.

Could you make a feature out of this? No. But as a little short film it's kinda neat and well worth your time.

The Good + Looks great + Fantastic concept

The Bad

• Smidge rushed

Rants

You know I've always said that a cabin in the woods would be my dream home. Away from the world, not a person in sight, in the middle of nature, a high probability of demon attacks and worst of all no wifi!

It's a fair question: What becomes of the final survivor of any given horror film, after all their friends are dead? Sometimes we see a hint of that resolution play out in movies, but only for mere seconds before credits roll. 'Last one screaming' explores this idea more concretely, though I'm not sure it translates well into a short film.

This much is true: Camila Greenberg is a fine young actress, and I'd quite like to see her in more movies. The makeup and stylized blood effects that we see are swell.

The boneheaded cops, giving running commentary, are unnecessary. The story imparted by Ashley (Greenberg) is suitable, if not especially grabbing. The conclusion of her discussion with the FBI agent is so blasé as to be a bit less than believable.

Yes, this is only a 9-minute short film, and with emphasis on the blood and a minor recreation of the events being recalled, it's scope has been defined. But in my mind, if we're going to examine the aftermath of a bloodbath by way of a survivor, then the concept deserves - needs - more narrative. What becomes of Ashley in the following days? Weeks? Months? How does she grapple with what she's gone through? A lengthier treatment, focusing on the character - as much drama as horror - would be a better realization of the notion.

I suppose we can't fault filmmaker Matt Devino for working within his limits to realize 'Last one screaming' as it is. A job well done, generally speaking. I just have the problem of easily imagining what more it could have been.