The masked stranger is one of horror's most terrifying
archetypes. Why do they scare us
more than creature features and zombie flicks? Perhaps it’s the anonymity of the figure. Or maybe it’s the lack of motive that
emits a sense of helplessness, seen often in home invasion and kidnapping
films. “Is this meaningless violence?” questions the audience. The victim
himself asks, “What did I do to deserve this?” When you are snatched by masked fiends from your creature
comforts, there is almost a figurative castration - any sort of control you
thought you had has been seized and exploited, you have resorted to a crying,
mumbling shell of humiliation. You
are at the villains’ mercy. This
is a very real fear, deep rooted in the America today, ripe with gun control
politics, police brutality, racial tension and violent outbursts, leaving us
asking, “Who are they, and why me?”
Jacob Barrett's beautifully shot short film is a pleasure to
the eyes and ears. The lighting
and cinematography are the real stars here, along with the jarring and eerie
music, successfully evoking dread in the pit of the viewers' stomachs and fear
in their minds. And with these
razor sharp elements, the film puts forth the question...who really are the
Monsters?
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Please join us Monday, March 7th for a free screening of MONSTERS at Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Missouri. Event info HERE.
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