The shorts programme of Sleepless Nights at BFI London Film Festival is the most terrifying category of the whole festival. Showcasing the latest, most creative, chilling, and fascinating shorts of the horror genre.
Sleepless Nights offers a quick trip into the minds of great horror filmmakers. From social commentary, to folklore or pure weirdness, each film presents a different scenario that will make your blood run cold. The programme features six shorts, of which four will be reviewed below (gotta keep some of the mystery, amirite?).
Without further ado, here are the reviews of said shorts:
Dream Creep
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Carlos A. F. López.
- Writer: Carlos A. F. López.
- Producers: Megan Leonard, Bobby Mchugh, Jonathan Caso and Zeus Kontoyannis.
Synopsis
A man wakes up in the middle of the night to hear his partner calling him from…his partner’s ear?
Review
Dream Creep is one hell of a sinister story. The creative premise only evolving into a more twisted narrative that doesn’t shy away from blood and gore. With the veracity of the facts remaining a mystery at all times, the is it/isn’t it game absorbs you into the tale and chills you to the bone.
The acting and cinematography are incredibly strong. Both characters are portrayed by great professionals, whose performances are as real as they can get. As for the cinematography, the use of close-ups to increase the tension are absolutely wonderful. A mise en scène aided by the steady increase of bloody visual effects and makeup until the short reaches its climax.
Overall, Dream Creep is short but incredibly intense and original. The type of story that will very likely haunt your dreams.
Mosquito Lady
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Kristine Gerolaga.
- Writer: Kristine Gerolaga.
- Producers: Kristine Gerolaga, Steven Krimmel, Lauren Bancroft and Jesus Beltran.
Synopsis
A pregnant teenager tries to get rid of her baby with the help of her mysterious neighbour.
Review
In addition to creepy and slightly disgusting, Mosquito Lady is a wonderful horror film that highlights the horrors of womanhood, especially in countries where body autonomy is not considered a human right. The topic is incredibly relevant in a time when abortion has become a political weapon rather than the personal decision it should be.
As such, this short emphasises the harm that laws created by ignorant men do in innocent women. Women forced to have children they don’t want and they can’t care for, or forced to resort to extreme measures that will put their lives in danger.
Tinted by the supernatural and by Philippine folklore, this story is a metaphor for the many cases of women who are so desperate that they will go to any filthy butcher to end their pregnancy. The use of guts and blood in such a realistic way not only enhances the horror factor of the “mosquito lady”, but also reminds of the insides of the protagonist, insides that are exposed and endangered by the risky procedure she wants to undertake.
All in all, Mosquito Lady is the perfect example of horror used as social commentary. It is the product of a society whose human rights are in peril. A society that won’t go down without a fight.
Outside Noise
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Ethan Evans.
- Writers: Ethan Evans and Jess Bartlett.
- Producer: Jess Bartlett.
Synopsis
A girl sets up an audio of forest ambience sound effects to go to sleep. The sounds slowly become more and more real.
Review
Outside Noise capitalises on tension and darkness. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and everything in your room looked dangerous and threatening? This short film encompasses that feeling to a T.
What is usually seen as a Zen resource to help people disconnect and relax to have a good night’s sleep is turned on its head to become an accomplice for the worst night terrors. The light plays a key role in this film. Its intensity and location creating just the right shadows and dark corners to make your heart almost burst from the stress.
While the fear of the unknown (and as a consequence, of the darkness) is arguably the first and main primal fear, the short taps into it uniquely. The combination of new technologies, the unknown, and the transformation of safety into danger, is a deadly trio that make this film absolutely perfect for horror lovers.
The Awakening
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Al Campbell.
- Writers: Nat Saunders, James Serafinowicz and Al Campbell.
- Producers: Charlotte Surtees and Phil Temple.
Synopsis
A man discovers dirt on his feet during two nights in a row. Wondering how that got there, he records himself at night and follows his nightwalking footsteps to investigate.
Review
The Awakening follows a man (Daniel Mays) who wakes up with muddy feet. Not knowing why, he begins an investigation that will lead him on a dangerous path. The juxtaposition of his average daily life and his mysterious nightly escapes drives the story into a nightmarish version of a freakishly common life. The connections with reality enhancing the relatability and, consequently, the horror.
Mays delivers a great performance that gives you just enough to be scared without overstepping the mark. His acting moulding to the tale seamlessly to create a fantastic thriller with a terrifying conclusion.
Advice to take from these short films:
- Don’t stick random things into other people.
- Sex education is vital. Almost as much as men understanding that they have no right to decide on women’s body autonomy.
- Beware of the things that lurk in the dark.
- Sometimes you don’t want answers to your questions.
What’s your take? Do you fancy going to the Sleepless Nights programme at BFI London Film Festival? If you are in the mood for scares, I hope you got tickets for this 19th of October!
Have you watched any of these short films? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, in my contact page or through my Instagram! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀
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