We’re all stuck inside thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, which canceled the SXSW 2020 Film Festival. Most feature length films are being pushed back and producers are eyeing later releases and festivals. Normally, short films (which already get the short end of the stick) would be left out and forgotten. But Mailchimp and Oscilloscope have come together to host sixty-four short films that were set to premiere at SXSW and you can see them right now on-line in the quarantined safety of your own home for free.

I marathoned the shorts in the midnight category, which is basically “any sub-genre of horror.” I have no doubt there’s some fantastic material in the other fifty-six shorts, and I might check many of them out, but for today, I’m giving you a rundown of those eight horrors.

At the risk of being called a size queen, I’ll discuss these in order of length - roughly the actual running time disregarding credits. I’d love to talk more about some of these, but when a movie is under five minutes, it’s hard to say much without spoiling the whole thing. And many of these rely on the element of surprise. I’ll save my favorite for last because it’s in the shorter half and I want to gush about it.

HEAT

Thessa Meijer

2 minutes, 10 seconds

During an extreme heat wave, a shy girl seeks refuge in an ice cream shop, but when she looks into the eyes of the charming vendor, she finds herself on thin ice.

This one’s kind of gross. I wouldn’t suggest watching it while you’re eating. It’s not my favorite, but it’s kind of fun.

DOUBLE TAP

Eros Vlahos

2 minutes, 40 seconds

A screen-obsessed teen ignores a chain-letter Instragram post. Big mistake.

This is pretty fun, although that might be a detriment. The tone bounces back and forth between funny and creepy a little too much for my liking. It’s a super simple idea done well.

HAND-IN-HAND

Ennio Ruschetti

3 minutes, 20 seconds

Two politicians shake hands. The situation escalates.

Brilliant without any dialogue. It’s a very (dark) funny, gruesome idea that has some sort of political theme.

DANNY’S GIRL

Emily Wilson

12 minutes, 40 seconds

After an intimate online courtship, Danny and Cleo decide to meet in person for the first time. Moments after Cleo’s arrival, Danny accidentally discovers something utterly shocking in her luggage.

This is one of those two-weird-characters-interact stories. It’s perhaps the least horrific of the group and kind of sweet. It’s not my personal taste, but there’s some good stuff in here. It’s certainly well acted.

REGRET

Santiago Menghini

15 minutes

Following the death of his father, a man must survive the manifestations of his inner demons over the course of a dreary night.

Damn! I won’t say which one, but this feels like a very popular Doctor Who villain given an extremely dark makeover. This could be the opening scene of a feature length film if it were cut down a few minutes. Really good stuff. One of the better entries in the group.

THE DOE

Jennifer Lumbroso

16 minutes, 20 seconds

After an accident in the French countryside, Helene, a city dweller, faces events that are beyond understanding. In order to survive, she must become “the Doe.”

If you’ve seen Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, you’ll get the premise immediately. Only this is French and I couldn’t quite get inside Helene’s head. Good acting and set-up, doesn’t quite connect the way I think it’s meant to. Still enjoyable.

STUCCO

Janina Gavankar & Russo Schelling

17 minutes, 10 seconds

While hanging a piece of art in her new home, a woman knocks a hole in her wall, revealing what might be another room. Her mind races and unravels as she wonders what could be on the other side.

This is the longest of the lot and my second favorite. I don’t know anything about production, but it seems like this was a passion project for Janina Gavankar, who co-produced/wrote/directed this as well as starred in it, and so she got friends who she’s acted with in various TV projects to play supporting roles. This is filled with great actors in very short roles in an organic way that doesn’t detract from the story. For instance, Debra Messing is the therapist who Skypes with Janina’s character. A cop is seen for a few seconds - framed from the waist down - and it’s Rutina Wesley from True Blood. Aisha Tyler voices a realtor. And there’s more besides them.

If Janina Gavankar’s name isn’t familiar, she was Shiva in The League, Luna in True Blood, Diana in Sleepy Hollow, Meredith on The Mysteries of Laura, and Papi on the L Word. And she is phenomenal in this. Her character suffers from agoraphobia thanks to an abusive ex-boyfriend and she sells every second of it.

I really hope this leads to her getting the chance to write/direct/produce/star in a feature. Let’s hope some investors are paying attention to these SXSW shorts and spot the extreme talent on display here.

And after all that praise, Stucco isn’t even my favorite (it’s a close second). That goes to:

LAURA HASN’T SLEPT

Parker Finn

9 minutes, 40 seconds

Desperate to rid herself of a recurring nightmare, a young woman seeks help from her therapist.

This was the most effective for me, and while I’ve never heard of Parker Finn before, I now desperately want him to make the next Nightmare on Elm Street movie. I couldn’t help but imagining a world in which this was the opening scene to an Elm Street remake and it would be perfect.

I didn’t recognize either of the leads, but I know both of them from other projects. I was just so invested and they were so different that I couldn’t place them. Caitlin Stasey was Claire on Please Like Me and here she’s a desperate woman suffering from severe nightmares and she delivers an anxiety-inducing performance in all the right ways.

And then there’s the therapist, who’s serving young Bill Nighy sexiness. I was shocked by the credits to see Lew Temple’s name (he’s also a co-producer). I knew him from playing hicks on The Walking Dead and Rob Zombie’s Halloween, so this sophisticated therapist was a huge departure.

I hope I don’t sound like I’m only gushing over shorts with recognizable actors in them. I love low budget horror with unknown and up and coming actors, and I didn’t recognize Lew Temple or Caitlin Stasey until the credits, and I was already a fan by then. I did recognize Janina Gavankar and Debra Messing (actually I paused it and squinted at the screen to make sure it was her, because I didn’t expect any “names” to be in these), but none of the others from Stucco.

Troy’s takeaway: In something like eighty minutes, you can sit at home and watch all eight of these shorts. They’re a somewhat mixed bag but worth it. Check them out at Mailchimp.