Kitchen Sink

A bizarre, captivating and truly excellent piece of New Zealand gothic. In suburban New Zealand, a woman finishes the washing up and discovers some strange little hairs in her sink. She pulls and pulls and something flies out of the pipes. And it grows....and grows....Kitchen Sink is a dark comment on suburban neurosis, as well as an excellent critique of horror films and the 'woman in peril' genre. Filmed in black and white, viewers may be reminded to some degree of Eraserhead. A little masterpiece.

This is one creepy film. I watched this two years ago sitting in my 7th form English class. I never expected anything like I saw. Filmed in black and white this film tells the story of a woman who just cannot leave something alone and how curiosity really did kill the cat.

Not a film for everyone but it will keep you on your seat squirming away. The lead actress is Theresa Healey, a well known actress in New Zealand and in this film she does a very adequate job of being a little too curious and obsessive and it's consequences if you cross the line in the name of perfectionism.

A very surreal film, I'd give it a 7/10.

A note: most of my English class was disgusted with it. ^_^

A woman is cleaning her kitchen sink. Just when she thinks it is spotless, she notices what appears to be a strand of hair near the drain. As she pulls on it, she realizes it is coming out of the drain...and is very long. She continues to pull for a few minutes, and as it comes out, it thickens, resembling a giant umbilical cord. Soon, a nasty and hairy fetus-like creature pops out. She disposes of the mess (by putting it into a garbage bag and throwing it into the bin!) and goes on with her day. Later, she decides that she doesn't want to throw it away. She finds that she actually might have some use for it...but then things get nasty.

This beautifully shot black and white short from New Zealand is very disturbing. I was cringing through half of it because the effects looked so real. There are only two lead characters, and their performances carry this nicely. Combining the lack of other characters with the set (one empty house) creates an effective feeling of claustrophobia. There is lots of suspense and you really don't know what to expect next. The film is very open to interpretation, but I took it as a commentary on domesticity, loneliness, and the desire for perfection.

You can find this short film on the newly released DVD "Crush," also directed by Alison Maclean.

My Rating: 8/10.

I am the first to criticize an art film for being too, well, arty. This movie has a brilliant, original idea for a short film, and its minute budget doesn't show one bit. I had the pleasure of watching "Kitchen Sink" in one of my video production classes. Some of the films the professor showed us simply put me to sleep, but this one really caught my attention and interest. It's disturbing, but that's its intention. This is creepier than most horror movies, of past or present. Even the effects don't appear low-budget. When the woman was shaving the man and cut him with the razor by accident, I was able to feel his pain. Usually, I think novice filmmakers enjoy using black-and-white, because it looks sophisticated. Sure, a good movie is a good movie with or without color, but you can't deny that the use of color can help. Just see the brilliant use of color in Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange." In the case of this movie, I felt the black-and-white fit the tone. And the great score helped top off the film's creepy aura. So if you feel the same way I do about most art films, check this one out. Trust me, this one's actually entertaining. This is the kind of film that gives inspiration to us aspiring young filmmakers. It shows that it is possible to make an original, imaginative film with two actors, one setting and a very low budget. (8 out of 10)

Here's an odd-bod of Australian suburban horror. As a woman yanks on a vine-looking umbilicous, she reveals a monkey-addled child which quickly (upon H20 - Gremlins ripoff) turns into a full-size mancub, complete with hair from top to toe. She begins a lenghty shaving session with his entire body. Disturbed by his lack of movement (particularly in her bed, which she jumps conclusions and drops him into) she encloses him in a man-size ziplock and walks away. He paws and she cuts him loose, revealing the romantic within. As creepy and looming music plays, they kiss and an ending of unbelievable gore and savagery rolls. Not simply a hoot of a horror short, but a terrific atmosphere as well. The Director is currently shooting "Jesus's Son" with Billy Crudup and her assistant, Kimi Takesue, teaching my filmmaking class at Temple showed "Kitchen Sink" to us. Saturated darkness on top of a brooding situation (on of implausability but not lacking in its own cramped fear) make for a quick fix of camera trance and zone-pleasure. Worth your time.