Kreaster

Jacob Cooney’s new horror short, Kreaster, certainly gives the impression of a big-budget sci-fi romp – equipped with plenty a visual effect, spectacle and narrative ambition. Yet, this 14-minute chiller about a lone survivor of an alien invasion on Easter Island doesn’t leave one feeling fully satiated by the story being told.

Let’s quite literally start at the beginning. Kreaster has an utterly impeccable opening shot which, in a short time, demonstrates all the positive technical aspects of the film. The camera very slowly pushes into our protagonist who’s sat fearful on the floor. In the foreground, however, is a cacophony of chaos: soldiers firing machine guns, quick but effective glimpses of giant tentacles attacking the inhabitants. It lasts for around a minute and is expertly conceived and stunningly well-orchestrated. We then transition to the bulk of the film, which is a conversation between said survivor (played well by Sal Rendino) and two military operatives (Greg Nutcher and Laura Poe, who fit the roles excellently). Ultimately though, the fact that the film then becomes an almost 15-minute recount of an event leads to the picture’s rather unsatisfactory denouement.

If we’re purely discussing the technical, we’d have to address a couple of minor shortcomings. The colour grade – whilst I’m not an absolute expert – is definitely a mixed bag. Each individual shot in isolation looks great in terms of the dramatic, cinematic style that’s being implemented; however, transitions to other shots within a single sequence reveal a certain lack of consistency. In some shots, the highlights (the brightest parts of the frame) appear white, whereas in other shots, they appear as a toned-down dark grey – presumably to accommodate for inconsistent exposure. The shadows have the same issue, wherein they’re occasionally black and occasionally grey. If you’re purely a film-goer, this will not be a significant issue. But here’s the thing: filmmakers like to watch films as well, and this might very well disrupt the viewing experience.

The computer-generated imagery used in the film is incredibly impressive in parts, particularly for a short film. Again, it’s not completely flawless, but it serves its purpose pretty damn well. It’s at its best when, as discussed earlier, it’s leaning into a goofy, fun sci-fi/horror aesthetics (tentacles and what have you). Alternatively, you could argue that it’s at its worst when the movie attempts to get a little more gritty and shocking; specifically, the CGI blood splatter just feels cartoonish and should have been done practically. Who doesn’t love some proper fake blood?

The piece concludes about as predictably as you can imagine, with not only the twist – but the exact execution and final beats of the twist – existing fully in the spectator’s knowledge of sci-fi conventions before the film even starts to build up to the ‘shock’ moment.

I’ve explained my reservations, but I wish to make clear that this is a solidly good movie, effective as both a work of science-fiction and horror cinema. It’s also a well-shot, well-designed work, complemented nicely by perfectly-toned performances; a film which knows how to have some fun, and that’s something you can never knock.