NOTE: Yes, this is a re-print of an article for 10/27/2012. Due to missing over a week of postings in late May (got kicked in the ass by pneumonia and the unexpected death of a good friend) things got pretty sparse here as everything else went out the window at the time …so I’m filling them in (and back-dating them for the days we were on the disabled list) in with cool stuff. Enjoy.
Yes, Grace (2006) is indeed the short film written and directed by Paul Solet that the 2009 feature film of the same name is based on. If you’ve seen the 90-minute version, I’m sure you know the plot. Here’s how I would describe it (since the official synopsis is too spoiler-ish): A young woman, Madeline, who is in her third trimester of pregnancy, and her husband have a very bad car wreck, mainly caused by him driving like an asshole. He is killed and she is able to crawl from the wreck, but sadly the baby does not survive. Madeline makes the difficult decision to carry the deceased baby to term. That’s enough horror for at least two feature-length movies already …but, believe it or not, things are about to go downhill and become far more frightening and disturbing from there.
Yes, Grace (2006) is indeed the short film written and directed by Paul Solet that the 2009 feature film of the same name is based on. If you’ve seen the 90-minute version, I’m sure you know the plot. Here’s how I would describe it (since the official synopsis is too spoiler-ish): A young woman, Madeline, who is in her third trimester of pregnancy, and her husband have a very bad car wreck, mainly caused by him driving like an asshole. He is killed and she is able to crawl from the wreck, but sadly the baby does not survive. Madeline makes the difficult decision to carry the deceased baby to term. That’s enough horror for at least two feature-length movies already …but, believe it or not, things are about to go downhill and become far more frightening and disturbing from there.
Cover of DVD release of Grace (The 2009 feature film, based on the short film Grace, 2006)
The best working link for the six-minute short horror film I could find was on Fearnet.com (see below). BUT! Do NOT read the description, don’t look, just start watching, since the description spoils every plot element from start to finish. Repeat (because I hate spoilers and when people just relate the plot from start to finish in a description before you even watch something), unless you’ve seen Grace already (the short film OR the 2009 feature), just hit the play button and go full screen. Oh, and do not watch while eating …or if you’re breast-feeding. Even if you’re not, trust me my fellow horror fan chicks, you’ll be crossing your arms across your chest like I was!
I highly recommend you do NOT watch this film if you’re pregnant unless you never get scared or upset by anything you watch in a movie, ever (though the French horror film À l’intérieur (AKA Inside, 2007) makes Grace look like The Brady Bunch, and I’d never suggest Inside to someone with even a pregnant relative, let alone even begin to explain the plot points to anyone who is pregnant). Grace also doesn’t take an especially low-key approach when it comes to gore, either, so back out now if you’re easily upset, or offended. I’m pretty jaded, but even ol’ Mrs. Horror Boom here winced several times. Intense, brutal, and frightening, Grace could very well sign you up for a nightmare… don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Grace stars Liza Weil, Brian Austin Green, and Susan Foley (the feature-length film starred Cabin Fever ‘s leading lady Jordan Ladd as Madeline). Oh, and the end titles just credit baby Grace as played by “herself”. Though it’d be way creepier if they listed a name, now that I think of it.
If you want to go behind the scenes, the below version has a really cool commentary. There’s also a short about the make-up effects used; drop me a line or a comment below if you’d like me to add it to this post.
I don’t know if enjoy! is the right phrase to sign off on Grace with, so I’ll go with George Romero‘s traditional sign-off: stay scared!
Do you know how beautiful you are?-Madeline, to her daughter
Terror always follows the phone call in the middle of the night…
After watching the near-minimalist short film Bedfellows, I have the following statement to make in response to the film’s tagline above: I fucking agree. I must still have vacation-brain, since I made some seriously bad decisions about what to watch when home alone Friday night. I knew I’d be alone in the house after dark for at least another hour, I knew this short had been rated as all-time scariest on Fearnet.com, I was pretty sure I knew what was coming, and yet I suppose I still figured Oh what the hell, it’s less than three minutes long, how scary can it be?
The answer is: one scary, scary, scary, VERY scary short film.
But I didn’t stop there, oh no. I saw there were a couple dozen (at least) short horror films directed by Drew Daywalt. The second one was equally scary, the third made my heart slam clumsily in my chest, and after that I decided to watch them with the sound turned down as low as I could get it without turning it completely off. After one more I was cursing myself and finally, made the one sensible decision I’d made that evening: I decided to watch more in the daylight, when I share them here. Oh, speaking of that, funny story! After experiencing that handful of shorts, I discovered a load of adrenaline in my system even though I was only running on four hours of sleep and losing a fight with a tension headache! That was certainly some co-incidence! I’m only putting up this one (rather than multiple shorts in one entry) because I’d like to not have nightmares when I finally do get to sleep. Whenever that is…
I purchased the vector image from Shutterstock.com for commercial use, then took it from there. If I can get VHS tapes, machetes, and popcorn boxes to add to the explosion, I will!
Good thing I keep the phone on my side of the bed (and even better, my husband almost always sleeps half-on-top of the bedsheets/comforter).
After experiencing those Daywalt shorts, I discovered a load of adrenaline in my system even though I was only running on four hours of sleep and losing a fight with a tension headache! That was certainly some co-incidence!
In other news (not as scary), I’m working on a logo for my Facebook page (not launched yet, but getting there). If you dig the above OR the below images, please do give me some feedback via the comments section below… or tell me which one you prefer. I find/make cool images, then have trouble fitting “Horror Boom” on them.
I wanted it bloodier, so I re-did it below!
I’m working on a logo for my Facebook page (not launched yet, but getting there). If you dig the above OR the below images, please do give me some feedback via the comments section below… or tell me which one you prefer. I find/make cool images, then have trouble fitting “Horror Boom” on them. More of those coming up, along with more just plain terrifying shorts from Mr. Daywalt (and others …but only if they’re scary as hell!
Nope, I do NOT mind waiting several minutes for the fresh batch of popcorn. Really, no hurry at all…
