In Danny Murphy’s horror short, Don’t Look, friends Rowan (Valor Grey), Abbie (Morgan Colquhoun), Thomas (Olly Rhodes), and Harris (Danny Murphy) trespass into an abandoned house, drawn by curiosity and the thrill of something supernatural. Their adventure takes a sinister turn when they encounter a mysterious blind man (Liam Robertson) lurking in the shadows. Instead of calling the police, he proposes a sinister bargain: they can leave only if they play a game he calls “Don’t Look.”
The rules of the game are simple. The blind man instructs them to sit together at a table, hold hands, and wait for three knocks. After the third knock, an unseen entity (Megan Murphy) will arrive, and they must keep their eyes closed until morning. Easy peasy. Should anyone open their eyes, they will face swift and deadly consequences. As the instructions sink in, fear builds among the teens, especially since Harris, being deaf, cannot hear the knocks or the entity’s presence. With dread hanging in the air, the game begins.
“The rules of the game are simple…keep their eyes closed until morning.”
Don’t Look is a nice, creepy tale for a midnight segment at any film festival. Four friends gather, and one by one, they are picked off. Survival comes by following the rules…but, you know…teenagers. The intriguing spin is that one of the participants, Harris, is deaf, and the host is blind.
Director Danny Murphy approached Don’t Look with the intention of creating a chilling supernatural horror story while also highlighting the strength of inclusive filmmaking. Working with a predominantly Deaf crew, Murphy wanted to prove that making movies can be done without being defined by labels. Murphy says he is exploring themes of fear, temptation, and the human struggle against curiosity. This theme of restraint versus desire is central to the story, reflecting how a single choice can determine survival in the face of terrifying, unknown forces.
Either way, a good horror film like Don’t Look exploits the inherent weaknesses of human beings. Director Danny Murphy crafts not just a chilling game of survival, but a story about the cost of curiosity and the danger of breaking trust when it matters most.
For screening information, visit the Don’t Look Facebook page.
"…exploits the inherent weaknesses of human beings."
