Sundance Film Festival’s Midnight Shorts: Body Horror And Bad Dreams

The Looming took home the Special Jury Prize for Directing, and one viewing makes it very apparent that this is a well-deserved accolade. Director Masha Ko shared with us, “This film was made by a group of friends with a shared belief that horror can be both healing as well as an avenue for asking tough questions about society. Since the film is a psychological horror, we made our creature mask by taking a mold of our actor’s face and then changing it a little."

The story hits a little too close to home when a virtual home assistant speaker picks up the strange noises plaguing Chester in his house. Dismissed by those around him, he realizes it may not be a symptom of dementia.

The Rainbow Bridge is a wonderfully weird journey for anyone who has ever loved (and lost) a pet, presented in a fashion that feels like Lisa Frank dipped in copious amounts of acid. Tina and her elderly dog MeeMoo discover a new-age clinic promising human-to-pet communication. When the masterminds behind the operation discover Tina and MeeMoo's bond is strong enough to transcend time and space, things get a little gooey.

This one takes an unexpected turn into Raimi-esque territory, and we are here for it. Fei is the top violinist in her elite youth orchestra. As pressure to be the best mounts, another Chinese violinist arrives to challenge her place. Anxieties and internal demons run amok and take a grotesque external form.

This stop-motion nightmare feels like Max Headroom would very much approve of. After her sock disappears at the laundromat, the already fragile Rita goes entirely over the edge. After being sucked into the washing machine, we are treated to a strange otherworldly cycle.

This one is for the aichmophobias. As a couple slumbers peacefully in the dead of night, one of them awakens to strange sounds coming from an interesting orifice.