Welcome to this review of the micro-short film, FORSAKEN, about a young man being haunted by a forsaken soul. We enter the film with some lovely music, and what looks to be an ordinary scene. There is a man on his bed, looking at photos on his phone. I like the fact this is filmed in black and white; it adds something sinister into the scene. Since this micro-short film is less than 2 minutes long, there is only one scene, accompanied by a revealing flashback. At the witching hour, 3am, something hauntingly terrifying happens to the man. Has the past come back to haunt him? Who is the forsaken man we are introduced to, and why is he there? The forsaken man is a horrifying character. When their eyes connect, you can see the terror on the man's face, he is practically frozen to the spot. This is a realistic and believable scenario, as we already know this time is when the ghosts and ghouls appear. Is the forsaken man an apparition come back from the dead, or is it all a nightmare the man can't escape, because perhaps he is racked with guilt over something terrible he did? I like the suspense and tension building, and the cinematography of closeup shots adds a nice perspective to the scene. A frightful demonic voice comes through, and because it was unexpected, it gave me a jump scare. It also left it open for us to ponder on the ending, whether the cycle will repeat itself, and the way the lines are blurred between reality and nightmares. It's an easy film to digest, yet I had to watch it a couple of times, because so much happens in that short amount of time. I commend Phillip Brocklehurst for delivering yet another mind bending micro-short psychological horror.
