Writer-director Gordon Phillips’s The Itch is a mystery box. What the hell is happening to the main character, Will? Who is the mysterious Roger? Why is Will following Roger’s instructions? Who killed the Girl Scout? No spoilers, but this mystery pays off in the end.
Will (Nate Nagvajara) jolts out of bed in what seems to be a small home. Feeling disoriented, he doesn’t know where he is, how he got there, or that he is being watched. Soon, his brain fog lifts, and he begins to make observations about his condition. While doing his morning routine, he notices a sore from scratching on the side of his head and across his back. In the medicine cabinet, he finds a set of injections, and Will tells the camera he’s going to double-dose. As the hours pass, Will’s condition worsens, and he cries out to Roger (John Potvin), whom he believes is on the other side of the cameras. Then there’s a knock at the door. It’s a Girl Scout (Eva Milania Méndez Martinez) selling cookies, visibly taken aback by Will’s appearance. When he wakes up days later, the pain is worse, and he finds the Girl Scout’s body under his bed.
Will (Nate Nagvajara) realizes he’s being watched in Gordon Phillips’s short The Itch.
“As the hours pass, Will’s condition worsens, and he cries out to Roger, whom he believes is on the other side of the cameras.”
With this nice, tight story, Phillips leans into gore and body-horror makeup. We’ve all been there — scratching ourselves and feeling like we’ll eventually dig to the bone. It’s all on an indie budget, mind you, but effective nonetheless.
The Itch has everything you want in an independent horror short. It’s got a strong premise, good performance, and it’s gettin’ all that creepiness across the screen.
For more information, visit the The Itch official website.
"…nice, tight story..."
