All Eyes On You

A short mystery horror film written and directed by Ted Clarke and starring Laura Nock, Callum Parker, Tammy Heath, Barry Smith. Filmed in four days, in Market Bosworth, this project was produced by Apollo Productions, which is a team of DMU (De Montfort University) film students and graduates.

Young couple Claire (Nock) and Adam (Parker) arrive at a small village, where Adam has inherited a house from his late aunt. Soon after they arrive, strange things begin to happen that involve the locals such as super-friendly neighbours, a postman walking into their home, a suspicious black car and a photographer seemingly taking pictures of them. What is going on? The anxious couple tries to figure that out while simultaneously reflecting on their dramatic past.

The plot is a what-on-earth-is-going-on type and that is arguably the primary element that makes this short so watchable, with a creepy atmosphere and characters behaving like they came out of a David Lynch film. The couple keep on encountering these peculiar people one after the other and begin to suspect that some sort of sinister force is moving against them. The suspense and the drama fill the place, effectively accompanied by Thomas Pearce's music that can be either sentimental or sinister.

The film ends on a rather dramatic and surreal note, one that could also be described as a cliffhanger. It is a memorable ending, however, it does not provide any clear answers regarding what is going on in the village, why the residents are behaving the way they doo. And this is not necessarily a negative quality, as sometimes, ending a story with mystery can make it intriguing.

Concentrating on the performances now, it is Parker who steals the show as a quick-tempered youngster who becomes increasingly agitated by all the bizarre occurrences. Nock plays his sensible partner, who is deeply affected by his behaviour and also by the odd events. The rest of the cast consists of the actors portraying the unusual and sort of nosy habitants, Heath and Smith being the ones who stand out the most as the extremely friendly neighbours.

The screenplay creates a suspenseful and tense story that is filled with paranoia, dread and to some extent, xenophobia as well. The film is also about starting over but also about facing the past. Moreover, domestic abuse is also explored.

A creepy story with strange characters. Viewers will most likely appreciate this short due to the suspenseful atmosphere and the mystery, however, they might be divided by the inconclusive ending.