Don’t Look Away is a gem of a short horror film I discovered on Youtube. With nearly four and a half million views, the public has certainly deemed it worthy of a watch. The premise is pretty simple: a teenage girl is on the phone with her dad when she discovers a menacing figure staring at her from the front yard. Her dad tells her to never look away and that he will rush home. She learns the hard way to always follow her dad’s instructions exactly.
The film is directed by filmmaker Christopher Cox. Take a look at the film below – it is best without too many spoilers.
Pretty neat, wasn’t it?
I really enjoy this short for its simplicity. The monster does not rely on a surprising or fantastic appearance, and the setting is simple. Although the creature has a human-like appearance, it is also somehow off. It reminds me of how “It Follows” handles its malevolent force. The film may lack action and fight sequences, but it does contain an abundance of tension.
It was refreshing to see the way that the father reacted to the monster threat. Too often horror films focus on all the characters just finding the monster and then learning to fight it. I love that for the father it was just another fact of life and he knew how to handle it when it arose. An extensive backstory is not always needed – I love that I am still imagining what this monster actually is and how it came into being. The ambiguity makes it much creepier – it seems as though it could appear to anyone at any time.
The film is a nice contained story, but I would love to see more within the world. I look forward to the filmmaker’s next cinematic endeavor!
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