Slapface - B-

​Quick Hit:  Taut but varied dialogue gives this short a bit too long of a leash.

Parental abuse is nothing to be blasé about. Director/Writer Jeremiah Kipp knows this, and has developed a short that explores the idea behind monsters, both real and normally imagined. He does this by placing a young boy (Joshua Kaufman) in the woods, seeking out a monster (Lukas Hassel). Eventually, he is returned by the monster to his widowed father (Nick Gregory), who obviously is a bit twisted as well.
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The short does a good job establishing the different characters, though we get a chase scene that’s overly long compared to the short’s total length (and it isn’t particularly convincing – not sure how much this is purposeful though, as the boy sought out the monster in the first place). I honestly think that was my main problem with the short – a lot of time is spent on aspects that don’t necessarily add anything to the film. There’s also some stilted dialogue, perhaps because most of the dialogue is delivered in ways that is not conversational, and instead are monologues, sometimes in the presence of other characters. 

However, I did enjoy this short. There was a good build-up of tension throughout, leading to a bit of a horror movie staple. The best part of the short is that Kipp is unafraid to compare inhuman monsters with human ones, something that a writer like Stephen King has been doing for decades. I’m looking forward to seeing more from Kipp in the future. I’m going to give Slapface a “B-“.

For more on this film, check out IMDB.