Before getting into this post, I just want to reiterate this is a vanity press. I generally just write about whatever I want on here because life is short. So why not spend massive chunks of my precious time on earth defending Hellraiser: Revelations and rating Children of the Corn films on a 1-5 scale of emoji corn cobs?
But in today’s case, I was actually approached to write about my impressions of a new short film titled Spooky Crew. I found a very brief trailer on YouTube, and despite my better judgment on doing this kind of thing, I thought it looked kind of interesting. I also thought it probably wouldn’t hurt if I spent 12 minutes watching a fictional podcast’s demise instead of doom-scrolling. So here we are!
What Is Spooky Crew About?
Spooky Crew follows a group of three podcasters named Emery, Nancy, and Tim who investigate paranormal stories in their small Louisiana town. For their current episode, they decide to investigate their local Bloody Mary legend about a teenager named Mary Jane. As you may guess given the genre, things don’t go so well for the Spooky Crew this time around even if their paid subscribers get a hell of a show.
Initial Impressions
This short film has a lot of promise for a full-length feature. The filmmaking itself is professional and noticeably polished, with an active camera that slowly pans and zooms around the podcasters to keep even the podcast recording itself interesting to watch. The film starts with the titular group recording their newest episode in what appears to be a video game store after hours, so you get the impression they all work together during the day and devote time to this passion project at night.
After a cold opening there is an introduction to the podcast itself that seems like a spin on sitcom intro with cartoony sound and visual effects to boot. This really lays the foundation of goofball humor throughout the short – this is very much a horror-comedy vibe that does not take itself too seriously. We obviously don’t get too much background for the three main characters themselves, but Emery does seem to be the main instigator of the group’s trespassing shenanigans. I got the feeling in an expanded version of the story, it is Emery’s desire to have an audience and be famous that drove his two friends to help him since Nancy and Tim seem far more indifferent to the whole affair.
One of the most distinct things about the short is the filming style, which rotates between a traditional narrative style and a more found footage-like style from their livestream where you can also read the comments coming in from the chat. Although people with less ability to suspend disbelief may grumble, I really enjoyed that it wasn’t strictly found footage while also getting to see how the stream itself would look and read the comments. Movies like Deadstream and #ChadGetsTheAxe have really primed me to pay attention to the chat to see what the filmmakers hide in the comments. In this, one of my favorite throwaway lines in the chat was, “i kno these lil kids not doin what i think they doin” when Emery busts out the equipment for a séance. Clever bits like that really make this budding sub-sub genre a lot of fun and make for some rewarding opportunities to catch more comments during a rewatch. And bouncing between filming styles could also set things up well for jumping between moments of comic relief and genuine scares ala Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon shifting from documentary footage to traditional narrative when the characters realize they are now characters within one of Leslie’s massacres.
This isn’t to say the short hit every mark for me when it comes to what I personally like to see in horror film. The historical context given for the specific iteration of Bloody Mary they are investigating as well as the inevitable scares are unfortunately quite generic and bland (though some of the ghost’s shrieks really did startle me with how much louder they were than the rest of the sound mix – you got me there!). I don’t mind a horror-comedy that leans more into the comedy, but some creepier atmosphere and creativity when getting into the tidbits of horror themselves would really round out the polished premise and production value.
TL;DR
This is a goofy little short that plays around with a few different ideas and styles – imagine the Scooby crew gang making a livestream about their misadventures that stops being polite and starts getting real, and you have the right idea of what to expect.
If you are interested in learning more about the film, check out Mallow Entertainment’s page on the film.
A Huffle of Horror 