It’s never been any kind of secret that I enjoy low budget, passion filled genre projects. Throw a little bit of a quirky twist in there and it’s even better. Luther Bhogal-Jones’s short film Black Spot,a 6 minute short that will give you yet another reason to think again about checking out that car stranded on the side of the road, is no different. With an old school feel that draws on the 70’s explotation vibes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Last House on the Left, this effective short shows that Jones knows what works (especially when working with this kind of budget) and and as such pares Black Spot down to just the essential elements of suspense necessary to tell you this story of murder on a country road.
What’s that quirky little twist I mentioned earlier though? This suspense filled short film was shot entirely on a camera that cost less than $60, converted to dollars because this short hopped the pond to land in my lap. The really interesting thing about this bargain camera though, (roughly the size of a Blackberry according to the press release), was that it allowed the movie to be shot in Hollywoods favorite newly redicovered technology, 3D! Bhogal-Jones, seemingly a lover of old horror cinema after my own black heart, wasn’t satisfied to present Black Spot in just that boring modern steroscopic 3D we all know from every blockbuster of the last 5 years (though it is one of the three available viewing options) he hearkens back to the old days of 3D technology with a Red/Cyan version that really kicks in the nostalgia factor for lovers of old horror and sci-fi.
If you have 6 minutes to spare, check out the link below and give Black Spot a watch. It’s a concise, suspenseful film that reminds us that horror doesn’t need a large budget to be effective, just passion and the dedication to see it through to the end.
http://vimeo.com/fasterproductions
-Scotty Floronic @Drunkgraveyard