PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST 2025 REVIEW! I’ve often said that comedy and horror are difficult to pull off if you’re choosing one, let alone combining them. Writer-director Hoku Uchiyama has made the hilarious and intense Whitch, which clocks in at under six minutes long. After putting her daughter, Sage (Nora Harriet), to bed, Aura (Alicia Blasingame) discovers an intruder in her house. That unknown person turns out to be an elderly lady named Gladys (Rosemary Hochschild). She acts strangely familiar for someone who is in the wrong place. But Gladys is hell-bent on performing a bloody ritual before midnight strikes.
Rosemary Hochschild delivers a memorable final performance as Gladys, an unexpected intruder with a sinister agenda, in Whitch.
“…Aura discovers an intruder in her house. That unknown person turns out to be an elderly lady named Gladys.”
Uchiyama has said that the genesis of Whitch came from thinking it would be funny if a fake Wiccan, who is more into it for the style, met a real witch. The filmmaker was correct because the short will leave the audience in stitches. The twist is especially hilarious.
Whitch is so funny, and the horror portion is intense, that it works like gangbusters. Hochschild sadly passed away before the film was completed, but she’s absolutely amazing in her final performance. The actor sells both the horror and comedy better than anyone. It’s incredible what Hoku Uchiyama accomplished in such a brief timeframe. He’s a name to watch out for in the near future.
Whitch screened at the 2025 Palm Springs International ShortFest.
"…so funny, and the horror portion is intense..."
