AstenCulloski

While Lot254 looks beautiful and has a very unique feel about it with a semi-creative idea and foundation, I fail to accept this as a "horror" film. It's creepy, sure, but the only scary part is two jumpscares, and personally I feel that jumpscares are very cheap and uncreative ways to get a rise out of your audience; they're short-lasting and 100% not psychological, and the opposite is what I look for in good horror flicks.

The idea of looking through a haunted camera isn't original, but the setting and cinematography make Lot254 feel professional and solid. I just wish they were equally creative with the scare factor, and actually tried instead of just playing super loud sketchy sound effects while they throw a scary face at the viewer. Not to mention the background ambiance throughout the entire film isn't original either, I know I've heard it before, and I want to go out on a limb and say that I've found that exact ambiance track by looking up "horror ambiance" on YouTube.

If there's one good thing we can say about Lot254 is that it looks pretty, and the atmosphere isn't half-bad.

The Sleepover starts like most horror flicks nowadays and doesn't do anything particularly interesting, especially since it's entirely based around a recycled fairytale (the Boogie Monster). But where The Sleepover goes right is it's suspense, sudden rises in action and a unique and effective soundtrack. There were a few jokes thrown in there and honestly I don't know if I would've preferred this as a comedy/horror or just a straight horror, part of me wishes it didn't end the way it did, but you'll have to watch for yourself to understand what I'm saying.

But since the idea was to make it a comedy/horror, it's actually a very lighthearted, somewhat creepy and well put-together flick. The acting of Josh Feldman and Gus Kamp (the boys) was stop-and-go, while most lines were delivered effectively, some just didn't match up with the correct emotion and it was somewhat off-putting. I would've liked the first bit of action to be more sudden even though I dislike jumpscares, but the timing seemed off to me. But aside from a few small setbacks, The Sleepover is a quality horror/comedy short film worth 6 minutes of your life.

I half want to say that the only reason this film was made was so the creator could create a weird sexual fantasy of making a naked eel-like woman. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem if that's what gets you off, but as a "horror" short, this film was terrible. From the strange overly-serious acting clashing with the super silly acting, to the terrible soundtrack and absolute lack of sound effects in some parts, Eel Girl was below par in almost every field.

The camera work was good, and the eel girl special effects weren't too bad either (though extended shots of her face show flaws), but the rest of it was just dreadful. The non-impactful "action", the sheer stupidity shown by the doctor, it was all terrible writing and honestly not worth your 6 minutes. Or maybe it is because you may love it as some people do, and gambling 6 minutes isn't too risky, but I can tell you right now, if you're looking for something that will creep you out and leave you scared for a good period of time, look elsewhere.