I am glad Router is a pretty short film because it is quite terrifying. Ryan Spahn’s biggest credits are acting on a few episodes of American Horror Story and popping up in Succession. But he shows a real flair for creative sadism here as the writer and director, putting together a nerve-wracking jangler in the confines of an almost 8-minute film.
Britt Vicars plays Jeanine. Her paint-splattered clothes and the unnerving pictures spaced throughout her apartment suggest she is an artist. She lives on her own and has a nasty habit of barely turning any lights on. As the film opens, we hear the familiar sounds of a text message being typed out. But Jeanine is having trouble getting a signal, walking around her scarily dark rooms with the phone held up at head height. It’s very much like the opening of Parasite if it was designed to make you soil yourself.
“…Jeanine is having trouble getting a signal, walking around her scarily dark rooms with the phone…”
Router is available for free on YouTube, so if you like horror, I urge you to watch it. I won’t reveal any more of the plot because the film is so short; you could just watch it in about the same time it takes me to spoil all the ins and outs. But be warned: If you don’t have a stomach for horror, then stay away, as this is nightmare fuel.
The terrifically atmospheric music of Pablo Signori complements the sense of dread. Thomas Brunoti’s naturally lit photography makes a simple apartment seem hellishly sinister. Spahn builds a creepy story quickly and confidently. Vicars is terrific, notching through the gears from bored to concerned to frantic in no time at all.
Router is a terrific little frightener, mounted with great skill by all concerned. The whole well-crafted experience is a little like being in a supercar going from naught to sixty. Only you’ll wish you weren’t in it.
For more information, visit the Router LinkTree page.
"…this is nightmare fuel."
