Shallow Water – Short Film Review
Synopsis:
Short film: 18 minutes
A group of adventurers arrive at a fabled fishing spot in Mexico only to realize that they are being hunted by a creature that lurks in the dark, shallow waters and that help will not be arriving any time soon.
Review Summary:
Shallow Water is a proof of concept for creature designer Sandy Collora. It is meant to either lead way for a feature length film or an anthology horror series. Because of the quality of the short, I would be happy with either one of these outcomes.
The Good:
Creature Design – Since the director, Sandy Collora, is a known creature designer, it is a great relief that the monster is done well. It fits within the story well and gives an interesting look into how the creature lives.
Suspense Building – The key to a good horror movie is how it builds and delivers suspense. Shallow Water does a great job by throwing you right into the action and having to slowly learn what is going on as the story continues. There are many moments when I would expect one obvious outcome only to be presently surprised when something else would happen. Shallow Water kept me guess from beginning to end.
The Overall Story – Shallow Water is, on many levels, your basic creature feature. However, what it does offer is the possibility to a larger universe just waiting to be explored.
The Ehh:
Effects Need Work – Shallow Water isn’t meant to be a final product just a proof of concept, so this is truly a minor gripe. But many of the effects need some work. The monster design is good, but still looks like a man in a suit. However, with a larger budget I am confident that this will be fixed.
Verdict:
Shallow Water is an excellent proof of concept that I would love to see more of. I think it would work as a feature length film, but I’d actually like it better as an episode of a TV series. I would like to see Sandy Collora develop multiple creatures and storylines rather than sticking to a single one. If you ever get a chance to see Sandy Collora’s Shallow Waters, I’d definitely recommend it.
