The Foreboding: Fractured

The Foreboding: Fractured (2024) is a short horror film written by Alexander Staunton-Hill. Alexander also plays one of the students named Connor that this story follows.

The group of four goes for a hike in the English countryside, laughing and joking, revealing their year-long friendships that began at the start of their university studies. When they settle around the campfire in the woods, character Abigail (played by Eve Kathryn Oliver) entertains the group with a scary story set in the same woods they are huddled in. The story highlights a ghost looking for her deceased brother who drowned in the nearby lake, with the cabin the siblings stayed in also a stone's throw away.

When the group splits in an attempt for Aaron to rekindle an old spark with Amy, Connor and Abigail collect some firewood before they hear the whispers of the ghost from the story. The ghost shows Connor a vision of his friends dead.

To stop the proposed events unfolding, the group search for safety and a way to prevent the curse continuing.

The narrative of this film is easy to follow, compelling and full of fast-paced action. The horror aspects of the ‘ghost girl’ are strong. The costume, hair and makeup of the supernatural are uneasy and remarkably effective.

The banter presented between the four friends was realistic and enjoyable to watch. It would have been nice to understand the characters more so that audiences could empathise with them. Without knowing or caring much about the characters, the stakes did not feel high.

There was also some confusion with the relationship between Connor and Abigail, at times romance was alluded to, but this was not clear. An unmistakable connection between the pair might have sparked more emotion from the audience when the characters do comfort each other throughout their trauma.

The visuals of the film were of high quality and professional, from the cinematography down to smaller details like the opening credits. Unfortunately, I do not think the performances were as strong. A high skill level is needed to pull off a performance of grief and immense distress and I do not think that the performances were convincing of this.

I understand the difficulties of fitting a more complex narrative into a shorter production, but there were some holes in the plot and elements that were not clear. During one of the final scenes, Abigail stabs what seems to be a dark fabric. I assume this could be the remnants of the drowned brother in the cabin, mentioned previously in the story, but this was not apparent. The reasoning behind the curse and why it involves the teenagers is also not known.

Overall, this film has a strong narrative with high production value. Some enhancements to the script for a deeper story with more character building would improve it. It was an enjoyable watch with the horror genre being served well.