My Review Of “Watch This” 2013

“Watch This” is an indie horror short anthology from Concept Media. The collection of low budget short films in this anthology explore contemporary themes that build on very modern urban lore. The serial killer roaming the land, random acts of violence for the thrill of killing, and of course the numb kids seeking excitement through the occult. These are all very modern mythos that are weaved into today’s horror and urban legend. Hell it is themes that roam through my mind, and are in heavy rotation on my DVD player, so it is nice to see fresh stories that add to those nightmares like the collection within “Watch This”. The total time is a bit over 53 minutes and contains four creative tales and a nice simple  wrap-around.

“Watch This” starts off with “Woodford County”. It is a simple low budget short that offers fast paced kills as a killer runs amuck in a rural community. No one is safe. The dialog is simple and does not weigh down the plot with a bunch of unnecessary depth. The plot moves quickly and for the most part it is a simple ‘set-em-up-knock-em-down’ situation. Plus it ends with a “to be continued” so chances are the story will be revisited later…

“The Way Of The Buffalo” is a darker more somber short that stays within the serial killer theme. However there is no comic relief and the story is told more as footage and evidence after the fact. This creates a more realistic, grittier atmosphere that is quite chilling. The more serious nature of this short really amped up the chills. It felt like watching a crime in action. I liked that aspect of the film.

The third short brings back a more satirical lighter atmosphere with a tongue-in-cheek exploration of the Ladies night.  That is the title of this short film, “Ladies Nite”. It is a twisted tale of three friends out to enjoy the night and meet some guys. Unfortunately for the guys sex is not the first thing on these ladies’ mind. The story is fun, fast and even throws in some graphic gore scene below the belt. This one was very entertaining and the ladies actually out shine the guys with the acting.

Finally “Watch This” ends with a cool little black magic short titled “Summon” . It pulls us back to the darker, more serious tone with girlfriends summoning a demon to set them free from their mortal coil. Considering the low budget nature this short was creative, visually appealing and had some nice special effect make-up. The story was hauntingly gothic with a more foreboding tone, keeping the story chilling and creepy. I think this one was my favorite of the collection and even it ended with a “to be continued” which I really hope means it will be revisited later.

Over all “Watch This” is a nice low budget anthology short film that is entertaining to watch. The quality isn’t outstanding but the cinematography and creative quality was done very well. I am a fan of the studios that put this anthology together because they offer some cool, modern low budget indie horror stories and “Watch This” is just proof that they are truly passionate horror fans and filmmakers. Even though I haven't always given them great reviews in the past. “Woodford County” seemed a bit wild and almost random, but the rest of the shorts in here are pretty well thought out, and nicely executed stories. I think any indie low budget horror fan will enjoy this anthology series.