Evil Resident

In a mock horror film a quiet resident is ignored by his loud, rude and obnoxious tenant. He decides that the only way to get the guy to leave is to fake a series of events to make him think that the house is haunted and hence send him off in fear. However the more subtle techniques don't work leading to more full on measures.

Shown as part of the Birmingham Film Festival this short was one of eight to be shown that were produced by Screen West Midlands and were predominately set in the Midlands using Midlands based actors and crew. To me this was one of the better of the films - not because of high production values or anything like that, but simply because it was the most entertaining to the audience I saw it with.

The direction is a little average and it looks like a TV show but the overall theme of this being a spoof of a Hammer horror works well even if it feels a bit cheesy! The guts of the plot is very funny as the haunting techniques fail for one reason or another. It has energy and is quite a crowd pleaser even if it feels like it's production values are low.

The denouncement to the film is clever (sort of) but not as funny as what has gone before. However it is quite good and sits with the theme of the film being a little spoof and quite inventive. The cast are good even if they overact a little bit - but then that's the theme of the film!

Overall this may not be deep or introspective, or have an arty core to it but simply it is pretty funny and was the real crowd pleaser of the 8 films shown.

I'm surprised at the low ratings for this movie. I had the good fortune of catching it last night at the Birmingham Library Short Films event, and it went down very well all round. It's very funny, Mark Pressdee does a great job as the flatulent, belching layabout, whom the house's other tenant is desperately trying to get rid of. Comedy value is high, and it's well made for the most part. It was interesting some see some props by Andy Dingley of Savage Optic FX that I've used myself in some of my more recent films, small world. I recommend a viewing if you're lucky enough to come across this film at a showing near you.

The location in Stratford-Upon-Avon is also especially excellent, and adds to the atmosphere, especially with the After Effects thunder and lighting (and some rain too) added on for good measure. Has a bit of a 'Bloodbath at the House of Death' feeling to it, and the comedy itself is along similar lines. Deserves a DVD release, really.