Shades of a Kite brings to the screen a powerful narrative about a haunted house and the manner in which it comes to threaten the safety of a family that has recently moved there. Anna, a single mother, shifts to a house in a new city with her three-year-old daughter who also happens to be a mute. The film unfolds to reveal a sense of deep disconcertment which is achieved with dimly lit visuals marked by their deliberate instability to disorient the viewer. The handheld shots when combined with the greys on screen produce an unease, and the invocation of this very sentiment allows the film to be successful in its endeavour to be a horror story. In terms of thought, the plot draws attention to differing ideas that conform to science and spirituality, the question of the supernatural in the logical world of mental health experts. All of this is further enhanced by beautiful animation that add a new dimension to the story. When coupled with notable graphics and convincing performances, the film indeed becomes a successful product as well as an enjoyable viewing experience for all horror aficionados.

Shades of a Kite | Short Film Nominee

If a horror story is executed expertly, it can lead you to instinctively look around for company, to ensure you are not alone and vulnerable for whatever fictional monster or demon you have just encountered on screen. However, the flip side to it is the high possibility of it all going wrong and leaving you with cringe-inducing humour. Fortunately, Mukho-Churi falls in the first category and catches the viewer by terrifying shock at what unfolds before them. The film deserves a especial mention for its visual effects and the usage of sound, two elements which make it succeed. It is late at night as two professionals light a cigarette, share a horror story and get back to work. However, because of a mistake, a simple act of forgetfulness, a very dark twist awaits the characters. In a world that is plagued by witch-hunts and cruelty, what would be their fate?

Mukho-Churi|Short Film of the Day

Spread over dual chapters, with perhaps also the promise of subsequent parts, 'A Tale of an Onion Witch' presents a sinister story of constant requests for onions. You read that right, but how can something as inane as onions be the primary concern of a horror story, you ask? Well, that's indeed what the film answers for you. The question you should be asking instead is that when a young woman or a little girl comes knocking at your door in the darkness of the night, asking for some onions, would you answer? 

 Throughout the duration of the film, there is an instinctive desire to keep checking over one's shoulder for any unusual movements, to always be wary of sounds outside the door, and that is precisely what concretises the success of this horror story; more so in the first part than the second. This is not to say that the latter is any less worthy of the points it scores, but that the former does a more notable job of establishing its premise. 

The first part uses jump scares, but judiciously. The camera employs tight close-ups, hiding more than it reveals which further adds an elemental tension to the film. There is an old woman, with explicitly pronounced dark circles, and a contemporary witch with long hair and dirt-coloured nails. However, it is not difficult to overlook the absence of subtleties simply because of the manner in which the narrative hooks you to it, especially owing to its smooth edit. Terrified you may be, but can you dare to look away? 

As you struggle to answer this question, time moves forth and we are presented with the subsequent chapter. A newly married, unsuspecting couple runs into a woman who shares the same name as the key player of the horrible events that had unfolded in the previous part - Mangla. However, unlike her namesake, she is minus the ravages of old age or the aforementioned dark circles. 

The narrative, once again, ropes in unexpected characters and elements to conjure an atmosphere of chills and eeriness, this time marked by a tighter, smoother control on its visuals, and more pronounced humor. The cast now also includes a little girl forming an unmissable and disturbing presence at the heart of all the action that was previously orchestrated entirely by adults. There is violence, blood and once again the question that holds immense power over the fate of the hapless characters - would they open the door when an innocent voice asks for some good, old onions?

A Tale of an Onion Witch | Short Film Nominee

Looking for jumps and scare, but in under three minutes? This short film could be the answer. A young woman aborts a baby, but little does she know what is going to follow. The film sews together different visuals - mirrors, shadows, dim lights, along with varied sounds, to absorb the viewer in its eeriness. However, horror, much like comedy, is a very personal experience, hit for some, miss for others. Thus, opt for the short film being fully prepared to be either impressed or disappointed.

Twenty 2 Weeks | Short Film of the Day

The short film by Vikram Bhatt is the story of four strangers who are forced to take shelter in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere due to a snow blizzard. It opens with a gory scene of an attack on a boy called Karthik. Before any sense can be made of what's going on, the narrative goes six hours back in time. It continues to oscillate between the past and the present, keeping the viewer on tenterhooks all along. Use of toys in shadows, perhaps reminiscent of the iconic slasher series Saw, is one of the many tools that help add to the eeriness of the setting. As attacks begin on them one by one, perhaps in a desperate attempt to rationalise it, they're immediately chalked down to being caused by a wild animal. Soon after, the question of the supernatural soon enters the narrative. However, how far are they from the truth, and more importantly, is any escape possible even if they manage to figure it out?

Let's Play | Short Film of the Day

The scene is of a dark night when a man is in a hurry to get to his native village which he left a decade ago. The reason for the rushed trip, making him drive into the lateness of the hour, is to sell an ancestral property. After finally having secured a buyer, this is perhaps a narrow window to get the property off his hands, explaining the urgency to get there in time. Now that the premise of the film is in place, it allows itself to play with darkness, concealing more than it reveals, using shadows and sounds to conjure an eerie atmosphere for the viewer. It's biggest tool to invoke an element of horror is simply a voice, an unhappy, enraged voice, and owing to the manner in which the narrative is weaved, that turns out to be more than sufficient.

Navigator | Short Film of the Day

The film captures your attention right from the word go by taking you into a night in the life of a seedy taxi driver. As he drools over images of skimpily-clad women in a magazine, the most unexpected customer sits in his vehicle for a late night trip. The uncanny passenger brings with her an atmosphere of eeriness which ascertains for the viewer that something is deeply amiss. The narrative then moves between the driver's dream and wakefulness, blurring the lines between what is real and what isn't both for the protagonist and the viewer. Just when he is about to commit a malicious act, he is met with the most shocking development. The film does a notable job of weaving its narrative, keeping the viewer hooked throughout. It further employs remarkable camerawork, complemented by a closely-controlled play of light to conjure its world of strange passengers and a taxi driver who has now found himself in the midst of an incident that will perhaps come to haunt him for the rest of his life.

Ei Taxi | Short Film Nominee

The narrative of Black employs no dialogues, instead supplements itself with a smooth sound design to bring to life a gory reality. Along with gore, elements of splatter, cannibalism and even jump scares find their way into this horror story. The setting is of a strange forest where the atrocious deed of burying human intestines is being executed. The plot develops in a manner that holds the viewer's attention tightly in its grasp. The skilled visuals too have a role to play here. The forest acquires a fantastical hue of its own. The murderer's delirium becomes evident in his eyes. All these elements together serve to complement and hold the story as a whole. The film is not for those with a weak stomach, consider yourself warned. It promises you a horrifying narrative, and a horrifying narrative is what it delivers.

Black | Short Film of the Day

The film opens with a tight close up, a phone call and a lighthearted, fleeting engagement with the idea of gluttony, completely obscuring the plot developments that would come to haunt the viewer. Soon a premise is also put in place - a couple has recently moved into a new house where the previous tenants left almost all their belongings behind. There is further the mention of a microwave and the foul smell that has accompanied it. Little do you realise at first glance that it would be this seemingly inane object, an appliance, around which the entire plot would come to pivot. Events follow in quick successions thereafter as strange sounds begin to fill the space on screen, followed by disappearing pieces of meat. In the meantime, the man is also unable to locate his wife who had left earlier to attend a relative's funeral. The narrative of the film is interestingly constructed with moments that range from unease and thrill to extreme disconcertment, allowing it to be an entertaining and involving experience for the viewer.

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