"The Listening Dead" is a short in the style of silent films, with dialog being featured on its on screen rather than in subtitles or coming directly from the character's mouth. Also, it is in black and white. Not knowing what to expect, I saw it at a film festival in Chicago, and I'm rather glad I didn't use this fifteen minutes for a bathroom break.
The film opens with some interesting stop-motion animation of a wolf, reminding me of Tim Burton in his glory days... this would fit in perfectly between "Ed Wood", "Edward Scissorhands" and the like. And I mean that in the highest possible way of compliments. To be blunt, I was sold before it even got going.
The short is accompanied by a haunting piano score from star Peter Scriba, which fit the Gothic mood and is an excellent piece... in this film or anywhere, it would be powerful. And from there, we get the strong visuals of the "listening dead" and the "pork chop scene" (if shorts can have scenes). The only part I wasn't 100% on was the use of the white lines -- was this magic? Artistic expression? I didn't really get it, and my only concern was that it seemed to break from the time period I felt this picture was going for.
I do not know where you can get a copy of this short, but I think it would be appreciated by wide audiences, both horror fans and others. It's just simply a technical and artistic masterpiece, no bones about it. The people involved all have a strong future. The acting, directing, music... the sets, the animation... I mean, I'm hard pressed to point out a weak spot because this is how art should be done.
