Bad Penny

An antique dealer is tormented by a peculiar coin.

Fred (Dunn) works in an antique shop. A regular customer approaches him, who clears out the homes of the deceased for a living and brings valuables to the establishment for money. This time, among the items is an unusual coin that Fred has seen before, as all its previous owners ended up dead. Fred is alarmed by its presence and refuses it, however the customer forces him to keep it. Fred leaves the coin at the shop and goes home. However, some evil force seems to be after him, making him retrieve the strange piece.

Beginning with a story about antique dealing, this short takes a sharp left turn with the appearance of the coin. Although its dark history is revealed, initially it is not clear why Fred is so afraid of it (terrified of it actually), giving the impression that he might be insane. Things get quite spooky when he starts hearing odd noises and later enters the shop after closing time, late at night, holding a flashlight, on his way to get the coin. He encounters a terrifying figure and what follows is an atmosphere filled with dread and nail-biting moments.

The concept is basically one simple person attempting to avoid an unknown evil entity and prevent more bad deeds from taking place. The film successfully creates a horror story, with jump scares and the terrified hero alone in the darkness, wondering around and being pursued by an otherworldly entity. The story relies heavily on Dunn's performance in order to work and Dunn pulls it off spectacularly.

The clicking sound effects are quite effective in creating dreadful feelings and commendations go to Alexander King for the tense and sinister score that helps a lot in creating a scary and dreadful atmosphere and praise also goes to Kalieigh Ellison for the creative makeup.

This is a haunted-object phychological horror ghost story with plenty of darkness, ominous sounds and voices, a horrifying figure and a strong performance by the main lead. It is a frightening experience that will most likely send a chill down the viewer's spine.