by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

I am back to report on the shorts I saw courtesy of North Bend Film Festival. I find that shorts are some of my favorite pieces to experience at film fests. The descriptions of the selections for North Bend alone made it hard for me not to request screeners for every one of them. But the shorts I did get to check out were all a lot of fun and ran the gamut of horror subgenres; comedy, body horror, cosmic horror and plenty more were all in store this year. Plus many of the shorts came from women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC filmmakers, providing viewers with a variety of narratives and perspectives from different filmmakers. 

Baby Fever (dir. Hannah May Cumming)

I have been following Monstrous Femine Films for awhile (and have one of their incredible sweatshirts at home). I was thrilled that this was playing at North Bend and that I would have the chance to see it. Much like the name of the production company suggests, this film dives into the monstrous femine archetypes that Barbara Creed references in her book. Donna (Helena Berens) will do anything to become the prom queen, even sleeping with and humoring a beef head jock by the name of Trip (Louis Llewellyn). However, after their encounter, Donna becomes pregnant and quickly starts to see the signs of her pregnancy, with all of the bodily functions that it entails. Refusing to back down and miss her chance to go to prom she must figure out what to do about her increasingly strange pregnancy. 

This was incredibly fun and made me think of Carrie and had the monstrous camp fun of Night of the Creeps. At the same time it also delves into the decisions women have to make about their bodily autonomy and how few repercussions there are for men when it comes to pregnancy. I appreciate how this manages to have a horror comedy tone while still having a strong social message, and great creature effects. With its bubblegum aesthetic and plenty of body horror fun Baby Fever is clearly a film made for horror fans by horror fans. 

While Mortals Sleep (dir. Alex Fofonoff)

Cosmic horror is a favorite subgenre of mine so While Mortals Sleep was an exciting viewing experience for me. After getting into some hot water, a true crime writer goes to stay at her friend's remote home for a while and get some peace. When she arrives a mysterious couple is there claiming they were hired by her friends to clean up their home. It quickly becomes clear that the couple is lying and they reveal their unique and very special child to her. 

With its short run time the film manages to pepper in many of the cosmic horror tropes we come to know; including cults and great creature effects. I loved the design of the monster in the film and found it to be very unique and disturbing. This is a short and sweet story that manages to be atmospheric, creepy, and very unsettling. 

Kafkas (dir. Nick Blake)

I was drawn to the strange premise of this film, and as a Kafka fan it seemed like it would be hard to pass up. Kafkas takes place in 1980s New England and follows Fran (Patsy Ferran) a nervous young woman who is set on finding someone with the last name Kafka to be her soulmate. We follow Fran as she finds 13 men with the last name and spends the night calling each one and trying to find a spark between them. As the night goes on and her list grows shorter and shorter we get to peak into Fran’s headspace and the troubles she faces. 

Patsy Ferran gives a memorable performance as Fran. She is funny, smart, and deeply troubled. This was entertaining and oftentimes surreal. In many ways it emulates the experience of reading a Kafka story and the range of emotions involved, even when the story dips into the ridiculous. Above all this is a fascinating character study of someone struggling with deep seeded mental health issues with little access to support or understanding from those around her. 

They See You (dir. Jared Januschka) 

I was pleasantly surprised by how unsettled I felt after watching this short. They See You is about two sisters, Robin and Dana. Robin plans to have a nice night in with her partner but a panicked call from her troubled sister dashes those plans and she must check in to see that Dana is not a danger to herself or others. Unfortunately when she arrives at Danas home she realizes how far gone she is and is convinced her sister needs psychiatric attention. On the other hand Dana believes that she has found something that can help them solve the death of their parents and tries to advocate for herself while it is clear Robin does not believe her. 

I often find it hard to watch stories about someone struggling to be believed and it is also difficult to watch depictions of mental health issues like schizophrenia played out. The film does a great job with it but is still a tough watch for those sensitive to the topic. I thought of how nicely it aligns with films like They Look Like People and Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation. Similarly this short has disturbing imagery and great performances from the actors. It was hard not to feel for and empathize for both of the characters as they try to do what they think is best. The ultimate ending is dark and left me with chills before heading off to bed. 

Death in a Box (dir. Simeon Gregory) 

I love very simple scary horror concepts that are both vague and ominous in nature, which drew me to the short Death in a Box. While hanging out Samara suggests to her friend Ava that they go see something scary she found in the desert. Being a fan of horror Ava jumps at the chance but when they arrive at the desert it is clear the power of the box and its hold over Samara frightens her. The small black floating box can predict when you will die. They make the choice to see what is in the box but the repercussions of this choice just might destroy them. 

Concepts like this often remind me of one of my favorite writers, Junji Ito, who often finds very strange simple concepts in his manga stories to bring fear to his reader. The design of the box and the simplicity of its look was terrifying. I found it hard not to be drawn in by the story and also feel very unsettled by how the story unfolds. I want to see more things just like Death in a Box.

This concludes a very satisfying end to my North Bend Film Fest experience. I hope to get a chance to visit the fest in person one year to experience more of what they have to offer and to get a damn good cup of coffee while I check out Twin Peaks landmarks. Make sure to follow these filmmakers and also North Bend Film Fest to hear more about what they offered this year and see what they have in store for the future.