The Shape Returns (2017) - USA - Horror - Not Rated (PG)
Independent Short Film - 12 Mins
Directed by Tony Crespo and Mykee Morettini
Written by Tony Crespo
Music by Mykee Morettini
Starring Chelsee Chauhan, Rob Sheppard, William Welch King, Desmond Huey
A fun and fitting tribute to the original Halloween film with pastiches of other films in the series worked in.
You know the story, if you're a fan of the Halloween films started by John Carpenter. It's Halloween night and among the trick or treaters is a guy wearing the scariest mask you can think of, William Shatner, as he stalks a teenage girl. Almost makes one think this is the story of a Hollywood producer.
A fan film is a different area for me. Back in the 80s a Halloween inspired fan film was the next slasher movie to show up at the drive-in. Unlike the glut of slasher flicks to hit the big screen in the 80s, the fan film of today is one which openly emulates its source. But perhaps the most important aspect of a fan film, I would think, is staying true to its source and not warping it into something it's not; a lesson Rob Zombie should have taken to heart.
The Shape Returns has the earmarks of a fan's love of the Halloween movie franchise. Taking from the first film the most basic plot of a masked stranger and the teenage girl he stalks for unknown reasons (again, from the first film) is the core plot. What ups the film is the infusion of elements from other films in the series including the post-Carpenter sequels and Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
One of the prime elements working for The Shape Returns is the attention to detail in the mask. Several of the official sequels did a poor job in recreating the mask from the original, and being the mask is like the trademark of the franchise you'd figure it would be important. For The Shape Returns, being the original 1975 Kirk mask, though available, was sold out, Mykee Morettini was left with buying the best Michael Myers mask he could find and modifying it to look like the original. And he certainly succeeded.
For the attention to detail to the original, and especially the mask, the filmmakers have brought the character of Michael Myers into the present. The Halloween theme is naturally present, and Morettini brings some up-tempo to it that makes it feel celebratory. There is a bit of an early 80s feel with the character of Jackie who rocks a Sarah Jessica Parker Square Pegs look, though that's probably just coincidental. The film doesn't break any new ground, as that is not their intention, but is a tribute to the original. In that respect alone I give it 3 Fingers, but because of some extra fun worked into the film from the other sequels I'll take that up a notch.
My Rating: 4 Fingers
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