‘Log in. Dial a friend. Chat. Die.’
Skypemare is a 2013 American horror short film written and directed by John Fitzpatrick. It stars ‘scream queen’ Cerina Vincent (Tales of Halloween; Freaks of Nature; Cabin Fever) and Annika Marks (Brentwood Strangler; Anguish).
Alison (Cerina Vincent) is left home alone on Halloween night, but while chatting with her best friend Jenna (Annika Marks) over Skype, something terrifying happens to Jenna, leaving Alison helpless on the other side of the computer screen, watching in horror…
Having premiered at the 2013 Telluride Horror Show, Skypemare was posted online Halloween 2014 and became a viral YouTube short hit, receiving over 1.5 million views.
The same production team made a follow-up film, Brentwood Strangler, in 2016.
Reviews:
” …well directed, with decent performances from the two leads. I like the way it’s shot and lit, with warm tones in Alison’s apartment, and cold blues the other end of the video connection. It borrows from classic slasher movies like the original Halloween and April Fool’s Day, but with a sprinkling of modern technology added to the mix.” Gore Blimey
“When it comes to the other key components – the acting and the special effects – there is enough greatness here to satisfy horror fans. Although Skypemare is far from torture porn, the blood and guts were used wisely and didn’t look the slightest bit fake.” Horror Society
“It’s nice and compact, so there’s not a second of padding. The performances and camera work are great, as are the lighting and direction… they simply hit every facet out of the park. It’s as near to perfect as one can get.” Creative Jamie
“Previous features such as the disappointing Smiley have struggled to generate the same fearful trepidation that Fitzpatrick has crammed into a fraught 8 minutes, successfully balancing the need for gory scares with bleak humour.” John Townsend, The Horror Asylum
Cast and characters:
- Cerina Vincent as Allison
- Annika Marks as Jenna
- Ryan Dillon as Steve
- Adam J. Yeend as Gary Gray
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