The Tell Tale Heart

McClain Lindquist and his team show off some true craftsmanship throughout this short film! It is both colorful and macabre. The blood reds of the special effects are accentuated by the neon red lighting of the photography. And despite a longer runtime for a short film, the edit is energetic and holds your attention. If there's anything that must be said, you should go into this film with some knowledge of the story it's adapted from. The pacing and temporal jumping, which highlight the character's slipping grip on reality, will leave you a bit lost if you don't already know the beats of the story. Apologies for the pun.

This film will take you on a trip down the beautifully lit, red brick road of the human mind and into some of the darkest recesses of human depravity. In a neatly wrapped, slightly bloodspattered package.

All in a little more than 20 minutes.

Rather than being gory, this lovely film relies on psychological chills and thrills to draw you in and shake your fear in front of your face. Incredible lighting, phenomenal camera angles, and a badass crew round out the contents of this sweet little package.

Edgar Allen Poe's Tell Tale Heart is a classic masterpiece. What's better than that? Perhaps the equally matched modern-day masterpiece film version of the same story! This film excels in presenting this story how I wish every kid in a middle school English class could have experienced it. The direction of this film is superb and each frame is expertly crafted to strike terror and fascination into the viewer simultaneously. It's so beautiful you want to look, yet so ghastly you want to shut your eyes. Very few movies have frightened me in their hour and a half run time like this movie has in its 20 minutes. It's a film that exemplifies what true horror should be and how you adapt a classic piece! McClain Lindquist is a visionary who knows how to frighten at the same level as those from Tobe Hooper to John Carpenter.

When I was introduced to the film's upcoming release through its enigmatic shorts, it raised the bar for what the film was to be. After seeing it for the first time, I was awe struct over the creator's take on the story and ability to keep you guessing what would be next. Falling far outside of normal, I loved the cinematic twists harking back to real horror storytelling - (Not Just Blood & Guts)! The best part is watching, again and again, noticing small subtleties and effects added to trick your eyes and mind. This film should live on in the realm of real horror storytelling. I look forward to what comes next from this crew of talented filmmakers. Cheers until then!!!

Gets a "9" because we have to leave room for what comes next!!!

Very well executed, lightning, script, color grading, acting, sound, direction! Very fun to watch, very easy to reward! Peephole Filmfest.