Strange Creatures
It is understandable that Nell should be trepidatious as she drives up to the cabin by the edge of the forest, the darkened trees and the torn police ribbon illuminated only by her headlights as she steps from the car and approaches, ignoring the pleas from her concerned girlfriend Becca who has called her, knowing that something is deeply wrong.
Summoned by an impossible voicemail, the call having come from the nearby payphone which stands empty, she shouts into the dark, perhaps seeking answers and understanding, hoping for some kind of a response but afraid of what it might be, because the call came from her dead brother Aiden, begging for help…
A short horror shot in Jenny Jump State Forest in New Jersey, Strange Creatures is written and directed by Nicholas Payne Santos and built around the performance of Quinn Jackson as Nell, in equal parts terrified of what she might find and determined to go forward despite the distant disembodied voice of Becca (Christine Nyland) begging her to stop.
Atmospheric and affecting, Nell’s grief and fear as palpable as the hidden presence which might be Aiden (Sean-Michael Wilkinson), Strange Creatures is perfectly formed in concept and execution and beautifully shot by Kyle I Kelley but frustratingly adheres to one of the basic tenets of entertainment, to always leave them wanting more, feeling like a sinister taster rather than the full meal of delicious horror.
Strange Creatures will be streaming on the Arrow platform from Friday 25th October
