With Halloween almost upon us, here's a little anthology of London Shorts to get you in the mood for all the macabre mayhem over the weekend. These three short films feature black magic, ghosts, weird creatures and human taxidermy so be warned probably not safe for work. Enjoy...
The King And Queen Of Halloween
Anna Maguire and Stuart Spears made this grisly but fun film about serving revenge with yesterday’s pumpkin pie in her old family house in North London. Maguire says: “London’s history and age gives layers to the city that are constantly being revealed. I used to have a dog, and I’d walk him in the evenings around the block. I always loved walking him in the autumn, around Halloween, as the days got shorter. The night would be drawing in, and I’d see lights going on, and little moments through peoples’ windows before blinds were drawn. I always found that particularly moving and strange, as you can make up all kinds of things that could be going on. This film is, for me I think, an extension of that.”
Astray
The moral of this story is clearly don't play with magnetic boardgames in the attic. Astray was made by Tomek as part of a Halloween contest for Guillermo del Toro. The creepy, creaky set was in the YouTube Space in London though it's the streets of the capital that really inspire Tomek: "I have a habit of trying to get lost while following my footsteps down streets I've never seen. If you don't need to be anywhere and have the time to look around, you'll find an immense number of interesting details surrounding you. That's what inspires me, being able to go anywhere and see anything even if it's 3am. I also like old forests and the closest thing I found resembling one is Queens Wood; likewise it would be nice if Highgate Cemetery allowed more access, it's a shame such a beautiful place is closed most of the time. I'll probably find some way to include both in things I film in the future."
Goblin?
This gory domestic comedy was made in Crystal Palace by director Christian James with the proceeds going to the British Lung Foundation. He managed to get young stars David Oakes and Holiday Grainger for one day, the latter on a break from making Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella. As James says: “It all came together in a matter of days. The crew were made up of talented folk we'd recently worked with — all generously giving their time and energy for free in exchange for a good cause.” Not very Halloweeny then, but quite nice.
So just remember not to mess with critters in cupboards, quiet old men or other assorted forces of darkness and you'll be ok. Happy Halloween.
Want to be featured? If you have a London-themed short film that you’d like us to consider for this series, send an email with the subject “London Shorts” to Stu Black and Ioanna Karavela via our email: londonshorts@londonist.com
To see other London Shorts click here.
