Final Girls Berlin 2022 Review: Short Films Not So Short on Horror and Entertainment
Before writing for Film Combat Syndicate and beginning to cover awesome fests like the Final Girl Berlin Film Fest that happened last weekend, I never watched many film shorts. But now, after watching so many as part of covering film fests, I am beginning to really enjoy the art of the short film.
It is a tricky thing, to tell so much story in such a short time. As a creative writer, I could compare it to writing a short story instead of a novel or novella; you have to have all the exciting bits but condensed. It truly is a challenging and beautiful art form.
For the Final Girls Berlin Film Fest, I opted to view two themed chunks of shorts: medical horror and queer horror. Neither disappointed.
The medical horror short films included: Occupational Hazard (directed by Ursula Ellis), Freya (directed by Camille Hollett-French), They Called Me David (directed by Lindsay Hallam), and Hysteria (directed by Jenna Payne).
Each of these films looked at different aspects of medicine from interactions with doctors to reactions to the environment to technology and experiments. Though all four were enjoyable, my favorite was Freya. This film took a look at how we are relying on technology to help us with our health, but how much input do we want to get from tech? It may not always be a good thing.
The queer horror short films included Gay Teen Werewolf (directed by Andy Rose Fidoten), Itch (directed by Susannah Farrugia), Protection Spell (directed by Maren Moreno), Sundown Town (directed by Mylo Butler), New Flesh for the Old Ceremony (directed by Elizabeth Rakhilkina), and Monsterdyke (directed by Kaye Adelaide & Mariel Scammel).
These shorts included brief looks at what it’s like to be a gay teen, having an urge that you just can’t itch, relationships and their problems whether they be internal or external, and gender identity. All were powerful, enjoyable, and with underlying messages. If I had to choose favorites, it would be Monsterdyke, Sundown Town, and Itch.
The Final Girls Berlin Film Fest may be over, but I know I am going to be looking for more work by these featured writers and directors. And I definitely cannot wait until next year’s fest.
Writer, bookworm, geek in too many fandoms to name, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago White Sox fan.