Fantastic Fest Review: A HAUNTING (2018)

I’m a big fan of short horror films, especially the ones that are able to develop characters and tell an in-depth story that has the feel of a feature length film, in a very short amount of time. A HAUNTING, from writer/director Paul Vance, is exactly the type of short film I just described and it had its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest this past week.

Chris Doubek plays Donald Brewer, a musician who has a very unusual problem. Objects move around his house on their own, he is surrounded by strange sounds, and he disappears for extended periods of time. Donald’s problem is that he’s haunted. Yes, you read that right. He is haunted. When a young woman who is a fan of his music randomly meets him one day, she decides to follow him home. It turns out that she has a relative who is also haunted, so she tells Donald she can relate to what he is going through, but what she really wants is to play music with him. When the two of them play music together, it causes supernatural hell to break loose and has some shocking consequences, especially for Donald.

Writer/director Vance has crafted an enthralling horror/comedy in A HAUNTING, and Doubek’s portrayal of Donald is subtle, yet hilariously entertaining. Clocking in at just seventeen minutes in length, A HAUNTING is a notably enjoyable short horror film that is a great example of the fact that an extravagant budget isn’t necessary to make an impressive film.

Michelle Swope
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