LA SHORTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! In Yoruba folklore, there’s a name for the demon that comes just as you’re drifting into sleep. Writer/director Christopher Rucinski brings that legend to American soil in Ogun Oru.
Combat veteran Michaela’s (Lauren E. Banks) life is in shambles. After returning home, she suffers from a severe bout of PTSD, her marriage is over, and she is splitting time with her ex-husband, Ryan (Sam Huntington), for custody of their son, Simon. Ryan is frustrated as he thinks he is the only “responsible” parent. Michaela would do anything for Simon, even hunt monsters that are lurking in the night. Which is ironic, as Michaela sees monsters of her own just as she falls asleep into her nightmares.
Michaela’s nightmare takes on a very real human form, lurking around her, suffocating her at times. When she sees her therapist (Bayo Akinfemi), Simon in tow, he knows what Michaela is experiencing. He says it may be a spirit rooted in Yoruba tradition known as Ogun Oru—a ruthless sleep demon that seeps in when Michaela’s exhaustion takes over. While the therapist is talking, Ogun Oru makes its presence known by attacking the therapist and taking Simon, but is this real or merely a nightmare?
The shadowy silhouette of the sleep demon lurks in a darkened bedroom doorway in Christopher Rucinski’s horror short film Ogun Oru (2025).
“While the therapist is talking, Ogun Oru makes its presence known by attacking the therapist and taking Simon…”
Combat PTSD is a subject we’re very familiar with at Film Threat. Only here, Rucinski weaves a horror element into the story. In the real world, Michaela struggles to prove to her ex that she is capable of joint custody, but what no one knows, except Michaela, is that there is a monster in the shadows that casts doubt in her mind about whether she is able to be the parent Simon needs her to be. The question is whether the monster is real or not.
Filmmaker Rucinski keeps us off-balance as we delve into Michaela’s psyche. With the help of some creepy Venom-like CG effects and an even creepier chest-pushing sound design, we’re right there with Lauren E. Banks’ performance as Michaela to see and feel the monster that is stalking her. By the end, we’re left with a lot of questions, and the under-13-minute run time leaves me wanting more.
Ogun Oru is a smart blend of combat trauma and folklore horror, and Christopher Rucinski wrings dread out of a story in just minutes, when most features couldn’t handle it in two hours.
Ogun Oru screened at the 2026 LA Shorts International Film Festival.
"…the demon that comes just as you're drifting into sleep."
