In Christopher Mays’ short horror film Rake, Lucy (Claire Lefort) is an unassuming soft-spoken teen. At home, she is constantly berated by her mother for disobedience. At school, she’s seen as the odd girl.
As her frustration builds, Lucy wanders off into the forest at the behest of a disembodied voice crying, “Rake.” In the woods, she finds a dilapidated shack. When Lucy enters and walks down a long hallway guided by the words, “Rake, Rake, I beg you to wake…”
“…Lucy wanders off into the forest at the behest of a disembodied voice crying, ‘Rake.'”
Rake is a ten-minute short that creates a new teen urban myth. Writer/director Mays explores the idea of that tipping point for abuse victims. That moment when Lucy refuses to endure the abuse anymore and takes action to end it. But rather than taking matters into her own hands, Lucy turns to the spirit world.
Running at ten minutes, Rake tells a haunting story that could be the first act of a much larger horror film with a subtle and effective performance from Lefort. Mays serves up terror when Lucy potentially turns her fate over to a demonic force. I think ten minutes was too short because this feels like it’s an introduction to a much bigger story.
For more information about Rake, visit filmmaker Christopher Mays’ official website.
"…feels like it's an introduction to a much bigger story."
