Directed by: Jef Overn and Timmy Lodhi
Story by: Brian Henderson, Josh Staples
Stars: Jake Martin, Jesse Shaffer, Taylor Diffenderfer, and Tim Drinkwater
Run Time: 8:47
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-hHGHSqUrg
Synopsis
Two guys and a girl are driving down the road at night, and they’re having a good time, singing and joking about country music. They pass a guy wandering alone on the road and one guy comments that he looks like an escaped mental patient.
They play a different song and then pass the same weird guy again. One guy states that if they pass him again, they should hit him. They do come upon him again, and this time they stop. He’s both in front of them and behind them. They freak out, and they soon learn that they have every reason to be afraid…
Commentary
This is clearly a really-low budget short film, with no sets other than the car and a dirt road. Considering that, it’s well-lit, sharp, the sound and lighting are good, and all the other things that indie shorts often get wrong. This is really well made. The story is a little sparse, and there is no explanation at all, but it’s creepy and effective nevertheless.
The only gripe I would have is that the short is 8:47 in length but the story is only 5:44 long; the rest are credits that would put a Peter Jackson film to shame. There’s no after-credit scene or anything, so you can stop at the five-and-a-half-minute point if you want.