Faustian horror films are a common and fun revisit. At eighteen minutes, directing duo Fitch/Baker (o.k.a. Matt Fitch and Chris Baker) eke out an interesting treatment of this concept of their own with the new shortfilm thriller, Backmask, which is already circulating international festivals.
Desperate for a new sound after an evening bender with a few girls and his manager, Angus (Charlie Rix), rock star Billy (David Shields) kicks everyone out of his mansion to slate a weekend of isolation and focus. As he toils away at the recording booth, it’s not until playback that Billy uncovers a subliminal message in his recording, ensuing a terrible collaboration.
The concept of “backmasking” isn’t new to me, although I even didn’t know there was a word for it. Leave it to the Fitch/Baker duo to educate some of us during their efforts to proffer something exciting to their targeted niche. I like the performances as well, which top off the directors’ even-handed venture in assembling a brisk, scintillating tale that brings the Faustian subgenre of horror to the music foreground.
I can’t remember if other films have taken this approach as seldom as I watch horror and someone might recollect this better than I could, otherwise, Backmask is fantastic. The final shot is as chilling as you might expect, which speaks inherently to the aim of the directors who stated their intentions in the film’s press packet:
“We’ve always been interested in the creative process. It’s not all peaches and cream. It’s dark and ugly at times. When an artist is at their worst they are almost subhuman. We wanted to make a film about that.”
Job well done, boys!
For more, visit https://fitchbaker.com/