Without any need for exposition, character background, or rounding details, Josh Ethier has concocted a sizzling little story that ably grabs our attention, keeps it, and deliciously rewards our viewership. The unnamed protagonist is immediately depicted as sympathetic - screw landlords, am I right? We've all been in dire straits before. Add the dazzling cacophony of loud hard rock or metal music, high in the audio mix, to make sure we didn't nod off. And then comes the punch and we see, to our great satisfaction, what it is the vague premise portends.
The sound design is exquisite, the music selections herein are outstanding, and the blood and gore look fantastic. Erin Braswell is wonderful as "her," displaying a nuanced range and poise that allows the ill-defined chief character to exhibit a few different moods and cheekily embrace variable storytelling roles before the climax hits. Ethier demonstrates a fine sense of camerawork to ensure that we see pick up on all those elements in the surroundings that "she" does, that nothing in the short is revealed before its due, or simply that we can catch her expressions and body language throughout. And the writing in these ten minutes is excellent and biting - a tiny bit of a zigzag with the shifts in the ambience, and I am entirely here for it.
'Gutter' is smart, pointed, and visceral in its brief length. What more could we ask of a horror short? Well worth ten minutes of your time.
