Honestly, I get tired at times of our good old American horror stories. What we share with the world is the love of being frightened in whole new, different ways. Director Akash Sunethkumara brings us the chills in the horror short Hooves.
It all starts at the campfire. Pathum (Danushka Dias) and Ravindu (Kavishka Warnakula) discuss Ravindu’s sudden abstinence from hunting. Ravindu tells of a mysterious encounter he had with Kura Raaksha, a hooved demon who protects the forest animals. The charm Ravindu wears around his neck wards off the dangerous Kura Raaksha.
In the morning, Pathum heads home, but his car gets a flat tire. One of the locals, Piyatissa (Sanjeewa Upendra), is there to assist and recognizes Pathum as his father was once an infamous hunter and that Pathum, in particular, should be wary of the Kura Raaksha.
“…a mysterious encounter he had with Kura Raaksha, a hooved demon who protects the forest animals.”
I don’t know if Kura Raaksha is an authentic Sri Lankan monster or one made up for the film. It really doesn’t matter. Hooves takes us to the other side of the world and uses horror to tap into our fears. In this case, it’s hunting and how monsters like Kura Raaksha cause us to take a moment to pause and reflect. I’m not against hunting for survival, but we sometimes need to consider our approach to it as “game.”
Hooves is a low-budget indie, and production-wise, it is similar to American shorts. Much of the film builds up the legend with exposition at the start and then sets a trap for poor Pathum. Horror and comedy shorts are similar in that they all lead to a “punch line.” And Hooves does that with some crazy visuals and a button at the end to lock in the terror…for the next time.
"…uses horror to tap into our fears."
