Ever wonder what would happen if Lucky the Leprechaun wasn’t such a friendly guy, or if your Lucky Charms were a bit more black magically delicious? Well, need not wonder any further. A new short, UNLUCKY CHARMS, by Kris Theorin, is now out in the wild. And no, I’m not talking about Unlucky Charms, the 2013 Full Moon venture, thank goodness.

UNLUCKY CHARMS starts with a bored cashier, whittling away the time until his lonely shift ends. However, when an ad on the tv offers a special surprise for someone who collects all three leprechaun figurines in Magic Munchos cereal, it becomes a bit too tantalizing to ignore.

However, as soon as all three leprechauns are joined together, a much bigger and more terrifying nightmare is summoned. Will he be able to outsmart it? Will he ever be able to go back to the boring life that was just shattered? Or did his luck just run out?

UNLUCKY CHARMS is a tight little short. Cute and catchy, it has enough atmosphere to carry the story and intrigue you. The design of the creature, as well as its bodywork, are appropriately creepy and haunting. The foley work was really crisp, and the little details, such as the chattering teeth were a nice touch. And the ending was lovely in its slow inevitability, as well as its conclusion.

Keep in mind that part of UNLUCKY CHARMS also contains a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at how the short was created and the work that went into animating it. Not only the rendering but the actor’s bodywork that went into each shot. It was a nice little sneak peek into the creation, but I think it would have been better placed at the end of the credits or between them to give the story more of a feeling of finality. As it was, the story ends and then goes immediately into the “making of” portion.

As someone who loves the -ahem- cereal type in question, I found UNLUCKY CHARMS to be a fun treat. So, if you’re a fan of short horror, especially animated, I think you’ll find this short to be quite charming.