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Succubus [suhk-yuh-buh s]: A demon in female form, said to have
sexual intercourse with men in their sleep.
I love a good short movie once in a while. So long as it isn't
ridiculous and taken for a joke, or one of those when way too
much is crammed like sardines in a tin (or bloated corpses in a
phone box) style into a slim running time.
Sudden Reality,
the film child of Matthan Harris (German
Angst, The Inflicted) who I contacted on social
media originally to simply bag an interview (which is coming
soon). I noticed he had a decent CV under his name and we spoke
about a short flick titled, Sudden Reality. I had to
review it! What I like about this one is the fact it's simple
and creepy. It doesn't overstay its welcome, it doesn't try and
do your head in with too many twisted logics, and it doesn't
stare at you simply wanting a shock reaction. Sudden Reality
is a nice quick tale which reminds me of late night Channel 4
shorts in the UK back in the 1990s.
Josh (Matthan Harris) is a high school lad who is haunted by his
failure to approach the girl he fancies like hell, and some
eerie wet dreams. For instance, whilst walking with his best
buddy, Kevin, he sees Sandra and has a flashback or fantasy
about her riding him. Kevin snaps him out of it and tells him
how she is seeing a frat guy. Dude, you don't want to mess
with those guys! Josh stares onwards and imagines himself
into the body of Sandra's fella. In his mind he charges across
and knocks out her reality boyfriend who is now where Josh is
standing, in his dream world because he's staring at her. That's
for staring at my girl, you cock sucker!
Hello, states Kevin, I'm not staring at your girl.
You don't have a girl. This brings Josh back to reality.
It turns out this obsession with Sandra has been in action for
quite some time. Kevin tells him he needs to let it go.
That night he creepily burns a rather large collection of
photographs he has amassed of this girl he desires. The next day
he tells Kevin he's ready to move on with another conquest. Then
who comes along? Oh yeah, it is Sandra. She catches Josh
staring. He becomes a zombie. You know how it is. At one point
they accidentally hold hands and she seems a bit creeped out.
His dreams become more violent. In them he is making love to
Sandra, but being torn at and bitten. A demon with Sandra's
face. When he wakes he curses her: Get the fuck out of my
head, Sandra! His life becomes a bit more complicated when
he discovers she has finished with Frat lad and he sees Kevin
giving her a cheeky kiss outside the High School. In Josh's
unstable mind, he goes Trench Coat Mafia and shoots Kevin, then
lowers the barrel of his rifle to Sandra's face as she kneels. Suck
it, you bitch!
She turns up at their apartment. Josh visibly begins to crumble,
his nerves are snapping. The man is on the edge and teetering on
a wide open void. Its unfortunate for a scared Sandra when
Josh's head mixes his dreams into reality. It has tragic
results. A flipped out Josh has a body to hide and Kevin returns
home.
She was a demon, Kevin! You didn't see what I saw!
This wouldn't be out of place in an
anthology following the collapse of the human mind in varied
stories. Matthan Harris, who played the deaf and mute Polish
victim of Neo-Nazi violence in
German Angst (see my review
here) for which there is a product placement poster in this
film, shows his diverse talents here. In the before mentioned
anthology, his character was very sympathetic and he did that by
his expressions -- you felt deeply for Jacek and his girl as the
beat downs went on and on. In this, he is a purely different
personality and, for anyone who has never had the courage at one
point in their life to approach 'that' person, he transfers his
feelings out of the screen. As a director and co-writer, he
doesn't go for snappy edits or, as I said before, twists and
bullshit, it's simple and accompanied by atmospheric music
practically throughout, which all makes excellent bed fellows.
Support from co-script writer, Sarah Kate Allsup as Sandra, and
Jacob McGregor carries the tale on steadily.
The effects aren't too over-the-top, there is some brief gore,
rotting face, demon set up, all good and aren't there as the
centre point to Sudden Reality. Big respect goes to
Patrick Cupp who is still new to the game, having done FX work
only a small handful of films, and a bit of work in the Mark
Wahlberg vehicle, Contraband.
Sudden Reality is recommended as a quickie late at night. Also worth seeking
out is, The Inflicted, where the gang chipped in to make
a full movie which added cameo's for Bill Moseley, Doug Bradley,
Sid Haig (no big deal, he's everywhere that one) and Giovanni
Lombardo Radice. Yep, I might review that one soon.
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