'Shades of a Kite' brings to the screen a powerful narrative about a haunted house and the manner in which it threatens 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. 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 endeavor 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 adds 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 enthusiasts.

Shades of a Kite | Short Film of the Month

Two men, employees of the local hospital, have arrived in a new town for work with their respective day and night shifts. Their living quarters have already been allotted, and they have little say in the matter, even when the strangest occurrences begin. 

The house is dusty with bad wiring and flickering lights. For one of them, who is more inclined towards astrology and a belief in the supernatural, the house seems like the perfect setting for a haunting. Additionally, the quarter has a dark history and a brutal past that includes a woman and her baby. It is in this manner that the decrepit house with its old, forgotten objects, attains a life of its own when nights become plagued with singing in a woman’s voice. 

The background score, screenplay and visual grammar construct an eerie world with seamlessness and skill. At the same time, the writing explores the many forms fear can take, and what it eventually comes to mean for both of our characters. All of these components ensure that the story is realized with impact, and that the end result conveys the film’s core message expertly, and with clarity.

Pallavi Ammal  | Short Film of the Month

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

On a seemingly regular afternoon, a man exploits a hapless chaat-seller along a roadside, as two school-girls discuss a recent accident that had taken place near-by. While the former exchange can still fall within the boundaries of a mundane encounter, defined by stinginess and helplessness, the mention of the accident hints at something darker unfolding simultaneously. 

The film’s world-building thereafter remains gradual, marked by an eeriness that is aided greatly by a careful choice of the background score, as well as a crucial, strong performance by Akhilendra Mishra. 

With the progression of the story, the protagonist continues to stumble across crisp notes of twenty rupees as he continues on his path. Unable to look away, he finds them in a murky pool of water or in obscure spots high up in the air. Despite frantic calls from his impatient daughter, he still refuses to focus on the path, until he reaches a point from where there is no turning back. The journey thus mapped out by the narrative is engaging, involving, and at last, deeply shocking.

Bārāt | Short Film of the Month

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?

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