Jay Curtis Miller gives a one-shot horror this Halloween in his short film, Jack. As news blares out that our small town is going to experience a power outage on Halloween night (that doesn’t sound good), Terry is looking for a bandage after he cut himself with a knife carving a pumpkin at Linda’s Halloween party. Surprised that Terry hadn’t left, she helped bandage his cut.
Noticing that Linda’s husband, Jack, is out of town, the two begin to make love (that can’t be good either)…and then the power goes out…and the unsuspecting lovers are now not alone.
“…a power outage on Halloween night (that doesn’t sound good)…”
Points always go to ambitious films, and Jack goes for it. Thanks to Director of Photography Dylan Rucker and the choreography of Director Jay Curtis Miller and his cast, we have a tale of death and revenge in a single camera shot. I wouldn’t say the story about not having sex on Halloween is exactly original, but using the continuous shot gives it a fresh feel.
What filmmaker Miller does well is establish the premise right from the start with minimal exposition and let the subtext speak for itself. Then, it ends beautifully with the dance of death with a knife as the weapon of choice.
In Jack, Miller delivers a slick, unsettling Halloween tale, serving up tension and horror in a single that feels as fresh as it is familiar. It’s a playful reminder to maybe think twice about stealing a kiss on Halloween night.
"…death and revenge in a single camera shot."
