Storytime (Short Horror Film)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- The line between fiction and reality is blurred when an audiobook narrator becomes self-aware of his listener.
Link to the Vimeo version (better compression): vimeo.com/9428...
Link to IMDb Page: www.imdb.com/t...
My Contact Email: mccormick.clark@gmail.com
My Instagram: / dylanmcclarkus
Check out more work from co-writers Tom Lawson and Brett Morrow:
Tom's Website: tomxlawson.com
Brett's Instagram: / brettcaps
Check out more work from composer Ryan Shreves:
Ryan’s Website: www.ryanshreves...
Ryan's SoundCloud: / ryanshreves
Ryan’s Instagram: / ryanshreves
Check out more work from lead actress Sydney Brumfield:
Sydney's Website: www.sydneybrum...
Sydney's Instagram: / sydney.brumfield
Check out more work from voice actor Sam Roberts:
Sam's Website: samrobertsspea...
Sam's Backstage Profile: www.backstage....
Connect with the rest of our crew:
Olivia Simon's Instagram: / olmsimon
Lucas Cavanagh's Linktree: linktr.ee/luca...
Surina Belk-Gupta's Instagram: / surina.pop
I loved the stereo effect when she took out her headphones, made it really immersive
Don't get too invested. Or it might sink it's teeth into you
It was amazing, the sound design is off the charts on this one!!
SMACKDOWN ZAMAN
Yes, perfect!
Excellent example of how important sound design and pacing are to good horror; you nail it as always my friend! 👏👏
Omg I loved your horror short she knows
Thanks as always man! Always appreciate feedback from the horror homies.
SMACKDOWN
@@natashacourtney6980Natasha
Look up Who Killed Cindy James The Psych Nurse from Vancouver BC
It's a Real Life Horror Story
A very scary one
The Prank calls came from a Payphone near my parents house
2 Blocks away actually
"Deadddd Meatttt Soooonnn Cindyyyyy"
Calls like that...
The Stalker is still out there somewhere
“…but first! This story is sponsored by Hello Fresh!”
*Poppy cries while a red blanket shows off a box of fresh produce and ingredients that can make an easy meal in under $15 and 30 minutes, with dozens of new recipes added each month!*
One thing I love about creators who don't overuse jumpscares: when they do use them, it really takes you by surprise. The noises when he's mutilating her, the description and the gore were all done really well also, really made me uncomfortable.
I felt the "jumpscare" when Mr. Crasswell is standing there menacingly, unmoving - which at least wasn't a simple loud noise + rush towards the camera - could've been skipped in favour of something else, or slightly improved upon. But that's about the only thing I CAN think of on the spot, and I'll usually be very harsh and focus on small things with my critique.
I get there are people who like jumpscares, and ofc there are some amazing uses of jumpscares (cat hissing in Alien is a well-used example) but I am personally not a fan of them, they do nothing for me.
I feel similarly about this moment! I would've preferred if he actually never coughed (breaking the tension in the doorway) and instead just began to slowly walk toward her in the silence. We shot it like that, but none of the takes ended up working for one reason or another. The take we shot where he "coughs" was the only one that worked! Alas -- so it goes. Appreciate the feedback on this!
@@dylanclark Aw man, that's a shame. Because how you describe it, sounds absolutely more dread-inducing to me!
Love your work man, keep it up. You have made some of the best horror I've ever seen, ever!
I'm dying to know who was outside her door😂
It was beautifully executed. Hats off to this Dylan guy.
You know it's a good horror because he didn't need to use a creepy figure to scare you, he managed it out with a f* red blanket. Great job as always.
don't know what you mean mate. can't think of anything scarier
Bro, Mr. Cresswell is such a menace.
"Mr. Cresswell did not take kindly to such slander..."
@@dylanclark Oh frick
@@georgeofhamilton ggs my dude ur cooked😂
@@dylanclark”mr cresswell wasn’t happy about what George said”
@@HarryMatthews-h2n "The short frights podcasts presents, Georgie's story. Written by R.M Lyle."
i love the switch in audio at the end which seems to suggest that we're the one listening to the podcast now
Yup.
GYAH WTF
It got weird real fast
Now this comment has 666 likes
Ok, I love the red shower curtain. Nothing happened with it, but the striking red matching the blanket filled me with so much dread and uneasiness. If she opened the door and there was a simple white curtain, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but the red? I was so worried something was going to happen. And nothing did happen. Just great letting us viewers make our own terror out of "nothing". Just a simple, matching, shower curtain
It was a red herring.
@@Blueoceandog bahahahaha, nice one
Tbh I thought it was a nod to that old horror movie "Psycho" since; Red curtains, bathroom and those high pitched music noises when she pulls the curtains aside to climb into the bathtub.
@@SatanicPizza-fo2ei Wait, Psycho got red curtains? Thought they were white, or maybe I am mixing the movie up with The Shining. HEREEEE'S JOHNNY
@@Mindboggles oh no, no! Psycho is in black and white. Maybe I too put Shining into my mind. I watched Psycho and The Shining before. I suppose red just translated to blood in my mind and with that music when she pushes the curtains aside I was just reminded of the famous scene in Psycho and even though the blood is black, due to being shot in black and white, it's still pretty obvious that's blood
I was so happy to see the same actress from 'Portrait of God' here! She's wonderful!
And excellent pops of red throughout!
LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! ❤❤❤
She's brilliant! She conveys fear so well that it makes me more scared!
Amen! Sydney is wonderful.
Yes I thought it was her 😊
It’s such a different character and performance that I didn’t recognize her, she’s fantastic
yup! Watched this for her, her acting, even without saying one world is brilliant. Great artist she is.
The image of the red blanket in the door way slightly obscured by darkness with the eerily normal bathroom in the foreground might go down as one of the most iconic horror shots I’ve ever seen
Relax nothing iconic about this
@@d-lo3055says you? Just sound like a hater
Right before the jump scare, you can see on her phone that the podcast skips forward to the end. Really nice detail.
Dear god the sacrifice of the bathroom jumpscare for pure suspense was brutal.
Sacrifice?
@@jostockton. Well the jumpscare could have been far stronger if they had executed it in 4-5 seconds but instead they held it for about 8. It's less effective but still really good. The 3-6 second region is generally a point of extreme fear of a jumpscare. A jumpscare is very effective in this time zone. During this time though you also experience extreme fear. So instead of cutting it short he pushed the jump scares quality back to increase the amount of fear present before and after the jumpscare. I've watched this twice today and the mere silent suspense has me fucking dying.
Glad you dug it! You can really torture the audience in horror by simply doing *nothing* at the optimal moment.
I love the premise. And the implication they *all* try to save themselves by rewinding. 10/10 gave me chills
What gave you the implication that all those who have listened to the podcast have tried to rewind it to save themselves?
@@adrijadey8103 it's been a while and I can't quite remember, let me watch again and get back to you (I recall enjoying this short horror VERY much)
That you had the restraint to not show what Mr. Cresswell looked like under the blanket made it more impactful
Horror with a touch of self aware humour. This was brilliant. And the short runtime really is perfect for this. Not a single second was wasted. It was captivating from start to finish.
Glad you you felt the humor! One of my favorite things about the idea was that the narrator would get to toy with her in a slightly amusing way.
@@dylanclark You and your team did that perfectly. Especially in the end you could here a spark of morbid enjoyment in the narrators voice.
We we're studying how to make short horror film and our friend suggested your portrait of god. Then we we're shocked to see there's a newly released one and we loved it! Thank you for inspiring us with this newest short horror film!
Ah, this is awesome! Love hearing it. Best of luck with your work!
That stereo effect with the one headphone taken out was such a nice detail
As someone who constantly listens to true crime podcasts while home alone, this one gave me a particular kind of chills. Well done! Can’t wait for the behind-the-scenes video!
Finally someone that actually makes ghost terrifying. Instead of just jump scare and it gets you.
"Posted 10 seconds ago"
This was a very good one. Unique idea and well executed.
Good 1
Agreed💕🦋
Great use of audio and letting our imagination fill in the horror of what’s being described in the audiobook. Excellent pacing, editing, directing, acting, and gore!
Thank you!
IDC if Dylan Clark writes a story about me I'M LISTENING.
So much that I loved about this. The camera tilts and push ins were beautifully done and I loved the colour grading. And the concept itself is just brilliant. Loved the small detail towards the end where the podcast skips itself. Amazing work all around.
Thanks Kevin! Glad you enjoyed that detail at the end :)
I gasped. My jaw dropped. I don't even know how you shot the ending. Bravo. I was waiting for a "please subscribe" at the end of the podcast lol
As someone who listens to Creepypastas all the time, this hits a bit close to home 😅 As always, this was a great film.
While not specifically creepypastas, horror audiobooks are my drug of choice, so I definitely know what you mean ;)
@@Mindboggles could you suggest some audiobooks ?
@@jannatulferdous8003 I sure could, depends what you are after though. If you like Lovecraftian/ Cosmic Horror I could definitely help you out.
I have some other suggestions as well, though I am not a big of 'ghost/ vampire/ werewolf' stories etc.
Why can't big budget Hollywood pieces be this? Bravo, bravo!
You really think Hollywood directors and writers can't make short films like this (and way better than this)? They absolutely can. It's easy to make a great short film (relative to skill, obviously I can't make one myself), because you don't have to build up any type of background or story or give any answers. A 90 minute film is much harder, and it's why the vast VAST majority of people who make great short films never do anything else. Because they can't. The difference between a short and a full movie is insane, and it's incredibly difficult to take a 7 minute story that has no intro, no character development, no background, no storyline, no lore, no answers, etc etc etc, and turn it into an actual movie which DOES contain all of those things.
@@tbaxter07 I'm sure that there are still talented folks in Hollywood who given free rain could do some impressive things, but in the last 30ish years I can't off the top of my head think of a single big budget piece that didn't leave me feeling "meh". I obviously haven't seen every single horror film that has come out but I do try to keep my eyes open as stuff comes out. Can you recommend to me anything worth watching that had significant financial backing, be it a short or full length feature, that you believe does a better job of creating a sense of tension/suspense/dread? I would be even happier if you could show me one that leaves you with a sense that the people involved in the films creation had a lot of fun doing so like Dylan's works do.
Damn, I haven't felt such intense terror in a long time, literally, he is very, very immersed in the situation and my fingers even ended up shaking after watching it... 10/10
I love how this is a horror film that is making a commentary on horror films where the main monster is horror itself. meta. And the analysis on how, in some ways, we want to be scared, is really deep.
There is nothing better than letting the audience use their imagination. Bravo! Brilliantly executed
Making a horror story the monster in a horror film is amazing. Even a bland horror story can cause so much terror of someone remembers this film while listening
I hesitate to say this, because all of your work is so good, but this is seriously next level. One of my favorite horror shorts I’ve ever seen. Great stuff, Dylan
Truly one of the creepiest and well written short horror films I've ever watched.
This one’s editing is REALLY top notch, it’s nuts to do a binge of your films from years back and jump to this one’s amazing quality! You weren’t kidding with that “headphones recommended” part either, this audio is your BEST yet! The switches from mono to binaural are so immersive and definitely my favorite part about this new short! Not to mention the color palette. I LOVE wine red + blue-green, it’s a match made in heaven, and you all RULED it! ❤
I think our protagonist believes the premise a bit too quickly and acts a bit odd compared to some of some smarter characters in the past, but you always manage to catch the biggest horror pitfalls before they happen. “Don’t open the door” in that invasive, uncharacteristically harsh tone from the narrator was awesome. Props to Sam Roberts!
I have to say, my favorite scare was the shape in the hallway coughing. So much tension released in a PERFECT jumpscare. No ear-bleeding loud noise, no over the top visual, just beautiful tension and a payoff that confirms fears. Outstanding work there.
Again, give yourself and your whole team a high five for more beautiful work! I hope you guys get to work on full horror films one day - I’d see it in theaters in a heartbeat! You’re all wonderful, thank you for sharing your skills with us! 💖💖💖
Thanks for such a kind and detailed comment! Serious appreciate it and the support 🫶
@@dylanclark Thank YOU for allowing us to enjoy your hard work for FREE! 💖
I am a short film addict. I don't much care for horror films, no matter the length, but I wanted to tell you that you are a genius! You are at the top of your game, sir. Peak entertainment. I love it. Watched Portrait of God a while back and was amazed. I'm starting Remains now. Keep at it. You have a gift.
The color design in this was amazing I love how you kinda used a limited pallet with just red, white, black and greys it really really sets an eerie tone that was just so good
SOOOOO Spooky!!! Another perfect short! Congrats man!
Bro you hadn't even watched the video lol
@@sitfish1113 I sent it to Cameron before it was uploaded!
Thanks man :)! Excited for what's up next...!
@@dylanclark ah cool lol
@@dylanclarkI’m excited what’s next so so much
The waits are WORTH it every single time 💯
The colors, the story, the sound editing, the great actress... Excellent!!!!
Dylan is a director to really look out for. So unique
Loved the atmosphere of the voice only audio. Makes it scarier.
Dylan Clark is one of the best new horror filmmakers I have seen in a while. His shorts make me so excited to see a longer feature from him.
Absolute horror perfection. Your short films continue to be among the best of the best.
The ending was brilliant, rewinding to think she can escape only for a great jumpscare to play out
Deserves a full movie for itself, no cheap jumpscares, very well done. This is the best film I’ve seen in awhile
What a masterpiece of short horror. This was one of the very few shorts that truly chilled me.
These 7 minutes were scarier than every horror movie that has come out this year.
The TINY detail of seeing the playhead skip forward to the very end is AMAZING. You put so much work into these projects and it really shows! Its been so long since I've stumbled across such a characteristically unique and fresh batch of short stories like the ones you make here.
This is the best short I have seen in a very long time. The camera placement at the end captured the terror of what the main character must have been facing. No pun intended. That story.... working in healthcare can be unsettling. That actress... is is amazing. She plays frightened very convincingly. Well done!
The color grading, build up, jump scares, narration and suspense! I'm impressed. This felt like an experience, like a thrill ride at a halloween theme park. So good
To me this felt like Dylan making it known that he doesnt need some horrifying creature like in Remains or Portrait of God to scare people and that all he needs is a bedsheet and excellent sound design. Another masterpiece. I cant get enough of this channel.
I loved every bit of it. The danger of anxiety inducing red and dead coldness of greenish blue contasting each other. The popping image of evil beneath the red blanket. The frame work that traps the girl into an unimaginable horror. The sound design that leads us into inner turmoil. The fan over her head that indicates her doom. The slow built up and slow burn of the story. The jumpscare that was placed so well and the narrators voice that was supposed to be reassuring while turning out cruel and evil at the end of it. Good job!
Dylan does it again! Great work, man!
Much appreciated sir!
Brilliant as always Clark! Time and time again you have shown that you could craft such an excellent horror film and without the need of jump-scares!
The sound design with the headphone gave me CHILLS!!!! Amazing work as always!!!!!
I’ve only discovered your channel recently and have been binging through the older videos since. It’s my first time witnessing the release of a new one, and you can really tell each short improves drastically from the last. Please keep making videos; they’re all so good.
The Color scheming of this short film also makes it more crisp and terrifying as well
Wow, this is really excellent work by everyone. The actors, the director cinematography, special effects, sound etc. I watch tons of horror shorts and most are pretty good .Especially if you appreciate that they're made with small budgets and limited resources.but every now and then something like THIS comes along and just amazes me. Great job!
The man doesn't miss. Nice one Dylan!
🫶
This was excellent! LOVE Sydney!! Please keep her in your stories. She’s incredibly believable and adds so much additional tension and investment with her acting. 👍🏻
I love how at the end when the narrator says "I'll show you", he literally skips to the end of the podcast on the phone. Thats a really great detail
I have never gotten scared from a horror short film. I usually watch these alone in the dark, but half way through this one, I was like “nah, let me turn those lights on.” 10/10 The end made my sisters scream 🤣
Sound design is everything in any Movie especially Horror
Excellent work! Everything draws you in: the narration, artistic sound, use of color… everything
The narrator has an immediate immersive tone. Whatever he reads would be so interesting. Great story, or maybe not because I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks lol. Great job as usual. Keep up the amazing work to you and your team
The cinematography and sound design of this short are so amazing! Never have I been so immersed in a short film! Kudos!
This is some of the most bone chilling original writing I myself have encountered. To realize you've stumbled into someone else's demented story is truly terrifying.
Love this. One of the few short film channels I believe deserves more eyes.
love the sound design and especially the cinematography. you killed this brother as always
Thanks as always man!
The podcast skipping to the end was incredibly brilliant my god this is so well done the attention to detail is perfect I really can’t praise this enough this film is amazing
Love the split second before the end, when you see the phone manually shift the time back to the end, meaning the girl had no chance to begin with.
Dude! How the F are you not a mainstream director yet??? You keep getting better with every short horror! Can't wait to see more.
Can't choose between this and Portrait for my favourite horror short, they're both so amazing
"Portrait of God" is one of my favorite horror media done in a visual way, sitting there with stuff like "Saturn Devouring His Son" by Goya, Alien, the work of Junji Ito, etc.
While I have some media I enjoy more overall, they are all literature, and the brain will always trump the screen in my own opinion.
Especially when it comes to horror.
However, something visual media like movies and shorts provides that literature doesn't is the art form of making movies itself. Literature relies on language, the use of words, and not much more.
Movies rely on so much more; sound design, visual queues, acting, camera work, etc., etc. ad infinitum.
I dont think I got a notification for this update, until I saw the one for Making Of, so I had to see this first. And....Damn!!!!!!! 🔥
Somebody better give this dude a budget he could make some movies a thousand times better than Hollywood
i love how at 6:24 you can see the time bar from the podcast move to the end
Always remember the doctor who episode like this with the creatures that never wanted to be seen but were all over the universe.
Having watched all the previous films, I was expecting another creepy-faced creature. So I actually love the subversion that we never see what's under the red sheet. It's one of those simple but genius ideas, and you guys pulled it off so well! Bravo!
Thank you! We toyed with some ideas about showing just a little more, but the classic less-is-more won out as the scariest version. Glad you dug it!
CREEPY!! Love the finished product. Great short once again :)
Thanks Ethan! Excited for Night Whispers to get out there next :)
I don't know what makes it from Dylan's style for me, but i can't miss his works. Absolutely captivating
Serious thumbs up. Very, very nicely done! Special props to Ms. Brumfield for drawing us in.
Great short! Both this one and "Portait of God" were pack full of symbolism and deeper meaning, such good acting, editing, and storytelling! I especially like the detail of the person at the door. Poppy's gut reaction when the narrator says "don't open the door" making her freeze and doubt followed by "Mr. Cresswell rasped. 'Something outside wants to hurt us'". Please, excuse me while I pick it apart for a bit.
We see that yes, there is someone or something outside, it's such a small manipulation, but Cresswell being honest about there being something outside makes her believe him when he says it wants to hurt "Us", it makes her believe him enough that she changes her course of action and hides in the bathroom instead.
When Mr. Cresswell says "us", Poppy assumes he means her and himself, but that may not be the case. "Us" is vauge. Mr. Cresswell and the narrator had just spoken in unison only a line before and given the context of the tape skipping to the end, "us" could very well mean the two of them. It could just be Cresswell speaking in third person, meaning just himself. In either of these cases opening the door could have saved her.
"Us" could also have meant the relationship between Mr. Cresswell and Poppy, as Cresswell seems to have possessive feelings for Poppy. And so "hurt" could meaning anyone who could come between them or seperate them.
Even if "Us" meant Cresswell and Poppy, given the hindsight that Cresswell wants to hurt Poppy anyway, at least the thing at the door would have also hurt Cresswell, perhaps giving Poppy time to escape or at least taking someone violent down with her.
Of course Cresswell could have been lying completely and the something on the other side of the door could be harmless.
That is the point of saying "something outside wants to hurt us", Poppy only has a few moments to think it over before Cresswell leaves the bed, and so it makes her change her course of action and stay inside where Cresswell can continue his attack.
Which leads into the question: what is the Something at the door? Cresswell says it is something that wants to hurt us, but it doesnt seem to be trying very hard. No knocking or pounding on the door, no asking or demanding to be let in, no rattling the doorhand.
Also, Cresswell says "something outside wants to hurt us" not "the thing outside wants to hurt us", the danger and the entity at the door could be unrelated.
So, unless it is a very passive, opportunistic hunter, that just waits around for people to open doors, it is most likely either a supernatural being that knows things are happening in this home, or a person who is supposed to be at this front door.
If it is a person who is supposed to be at this door, it's likely a postal worker or delivery driver dropping something off, a salesperson or political representative, or evangelist so a potential source of help, or at least a potential source of someone dialing 911. A family member, friend, or significant other would have likely either knocked or texted (although they may have txted and the Narrator just hid the message, we see he has control over the podcast, he may have control over other parts of her phone)
Cresswell adding "Don't leave me. Don't let it in" Shows that opening the door will lead to Cresswell being seperated from Poppy, physically or metaphorically. This could mean Cresswell is unable to leave the house to persue Poppy, that the thing on the other side of the door will take Poppy away (by saving her, kidnapping her, or killing her), or that the door is keeping Cresswell safe from whatever is on the other side of the door.
If the creature is a supernatural entity, a few speculations on what it could be: a vampire or BEK that needs to be let in, an overseer type entity that ensures Cresswell kills his victims, an investigative entity or organization that knows something is going on at this house but won't move until they have more information, or of course Death (as we know Cresswell is ill and Poppy is soon to die).
Also, something-something, red sheet, Cressell's cough, "Masque of the Red Death"
this is excellent. i love the use of colour and how bright the reds are. such a cool concept.
Hollywood really needs to learn from Independent Film makers like this. You don’t need loud jump scares. Well done.
Let's go another movie! You are very creative and amazing filmmaker good job❤️ the quality is amazing❤️ thank you
Hell yeah my man! Very well done!
I especially LOVED the little detail at the end where you can just barley see the playhead zip forward, GREAT attention to detail!
What do you mean?
Thanks Taylor! Glad you noticed that detail haha. Had fun adding that in.
The red in every scene surrounded by this cold blue tone was sooooo perfect 😍😍
Ooooo I loved this so much. The actress was great, and the narrator was excellently creepy. The detail with the earbuds affecting the audio was a nice touch. Great work :)
As an avid horror podcast listener, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to get too immersed in the story that it feels it’s about you.
Loved Portrait of God, and absolutely loved this too. 7 minutes, one location, two characters, and yet the level of tension and suspense is incredible. Literally had me holding my breath. Also massive props for the audio and sound design. Top notch
These short films are just getting better and better.
Oh my God.
I cannot express how beautiful and terrifying this one is.
Right from the start, I knew it was gonna be one hell of a film but it somehow surpassed any and all expectations.
Jesus Christ, this man and his team is WAY TOO GOOD.
From the cinematography and the sound design right down to the acting, it is absolutely magnificent. My God.
I just so happened to stumble upon portrait of god a week or so back, after that I almost immediately binged the rest of your catalogue. Def a big fan of your works now!
I started watching with no heaphones, confused on the podcast sounded like a narration, then she took hers out and i realized we were hearing from her perspective. This is an actual masterpiece.
Fantastically well done. I've been watching a lot of short form horror recently and this artist really understands the medium. Everything is efficiently chosen with purpose and there is a clear idea of where you want to go and how to get there in such a short time.
Absolutely amazing. I’m a big horror fan and your shorts have yet to disappoint. I’m very surprised you aren’t more popular. Keep making more, we are all here for it
Keep making such kind of creepy and bone chilling short horror movies...
11/10 pacing + helplessness + psycholigical trip, thank you ! I missed these
You make really scary movies. Can’t wait for your debut feature film
When the movie Old People mixes into the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark universe, love it
Your technique has improved a lot over the years, but the taste for pure horror has remained the same, and I like it very much. Congratulations Dylan, and greetings from Italy!
Welp, guess who won't be able to listen to audiobooks ever again out of sheer terror? This guy!!
(Jokes aside, that was incredibly well made. I loved how the sound would change which headphone it came out of based on which earbuds were in, it really felt immersive.)