Revenge Tour

This is a short film that I got the chance to see when actor Timothy J. Cox sent over a press release with a screener link. Since everything that he's sent me over thus far, I've enjoyed, I decided to check this out. It didn't look to be considered horror, but it was adjacent. The dark subject matter was enough for me.

Synopsis: a veteran detective and overzealous rookie investigate a series of murders and kidnappings involving film judges.

We start this by hearing a police scanner before shifting over to two detectives in their car. The vet is Briggs (Vince Hobart Smith). His young partner is played by Hasan Hamad. Through their dialogue we learn that there have been three brutal murders. One was hit in the face with a hammer, another looked to be going down the stairs when he was attacked and then another was set on fire. What they all have in common, they're judges at local film festivals. There also was a note, written on cardboard at each scene. I appears that the message on each was something taken from a review they wrote.

The detectives start by interviewing different actors or behind the scenes crew from the area. This includes Beth Metcalf, Theo White, Jessica Lorraine and Jason Wray, all playing themselves. I thought that was a good touch. We then see that at the end, the killer has set their sights on a bigger crime.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. This runs just shy of ten minutes and I didn't want to go into spoilers. Let me start with what I like to do when judging short films. Do they tell a complete story? Or would I like to see this as a steppingstone to tell a bigger story. I think this falls into the latter. Let me just say that wasn't meant in a negative. There is an intriguing story here so I want more.

Let me delve more into what we're getting here. Whoever our killer is, they are going after judges from local film festivals. I love this idea. I try to attend one every year, the Nightmares Film Festival. I've met most of the judges and they're all great. What I like though is this idea that we have this filmmaker, who is unhinged. They are using something from their reviews as a calling card at the crimes. The killer clearly feel they're being treated unfairly and getting revenge. I get vibes of Theatre of Blood, which I'm a fan of.

What I think sells this is the acting. Smith and Hamad are fine. They don't go over the top when they're interrogating witnesses. They're stern for good reason. There aren't any suspects yet. They interview different people from the independent circuit of actors like Metcalf, White, Lorraine and Wray. I liked that they're playing themselves, but also a fictional version. I'll credit them. I'd also say that Anthony Taft, Kyle Bavis, Robyn Paul Nelson and Nat Marcum also rounded this out for what was needed.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I'd say that this is well made. What works here is that we get flashes of the crimes that the detectives are looking into. That was a good way to hear about the crimes, while showing us what they're talking about. That was a good touch. The effects make these crimes look like they happened. That was something I appreciated. I should say here that the framing and editing was good with this. Other than that, the soundtrack fit what was needed.

In conclusion, this is a short film that has me interested in learning more. I'll credit writer/director Bryon Jones. That is one way to hook me with a short. There is an interesting premise here that could be extended if they decide to do so. The acting was solid across the board. This was well made from the cinematography, effects to the framing and editing. I know that at the time I watched this, it is hitting festivals now. If what I said sounds interesting, keep an eye out where you watch short films.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.