Welcome to this Week’s Installment of Short Horror Film Friday Featuring THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX Directed by Caleb J. Phillips, and Cowritten by Caleb J. Phillips and Nick Tag.
Giving the Finger to the Trends, Caleb Phillips, OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX is Anything but Predictable. The Film is Rare Example of Suspense where You have Literally No Clue where it’s going. It’s Chock Full of Misdirection and Surprises that all Work Together to Defy the Viewers Expectations. Now where most Horror Films take Meticulous Care to NOT REVEAL the “Creature” until the Very End (Example: The Final Cliche Modern Day Jump Scare Bullshit), but Phillips Basically Does the Exact Opposite with OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX. In Debatably the Film’s Creepiest Scene, the Audience gets to see the “Creature” Unexpectedly in the Middle of the Story. It’s a Perfectly Executed Scene that is both Uncanny and Unnerving to Watch. Thus the Film Focuses on a Different Eerie idea: Knowing You’re being Watched, Self Preservation/Personal Safety, and All the While You are Unable to Look Away.
About OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX in The Director’s Own Words:
“I was so taken with this idea of terror coming from something as simple as being stared at, and the imagery of the head in the box deeply unsettled me. I’m a huge fan of cosmic horror and I wanted to make a film that felt more like an investigation instead of running from a monster.” The film, overall, succeeds in its mission. It’s fun to discover the “rules”of the scenario in real-time with the protagonists and this structural drive allows the film to find new things to present to the audience along the way. Many genre shorts run out of steam once they reveal their central high-concept trick. Box, rather, keeps building complexity and tension, getting better as it goes. Other Side of the Box won the Grand Jury Award for best midnight Short at SXSW in 2019, and as that accolade from that particular category would suggest, the film definitely skews strange. But, it’s also not inaccessible or abstract. That’s an important distinction. It’s a film that makes up its logic, but in doing so, never loses the audience. The mythology and character choices all feel like they make sense in the moment. And, of course, by relying on traditional genre thrills and suspense, it feels inherently watchable, never getting tripped up by its own inherent strangeness. It’s both bizarre and creepy in equal measure. Endings (especially in shorts) are hard. This one is a bit tough to decipher, but structurally, it feels like the film builds to a place of satisfying climax. And, thankfully, I never feel like Box resorts to easy tricks of the genre. It’s the kind of film with such a unique hook and central image that it’s bound to stick in the back of your mind for some time to come.” -Caleb J. Phillips-
Enjoy.
Hope You Enjoyed OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX and Remember it the Next Time You see the UPS Man walking Your Way.
Thanks for Reading/Watching,
Presented By Les Sober