The horror short has one of the most original creature designs in recent memory.
Fresh off the heels of It, more kids are missing thanks to a mysterious evil in Kinderfänger. A desert manhunt, featuring the film’s deaf protagonist, is enveloping enough for us to immediately get inside her shoes.
That this manhunt becomes another kind of hunt entirely works thanks to the offbeat and unreal cinematography wrapped around strong, discordant sound design.
Christopher Alender creates a few things that are impressive on their own merits: a cool, original monster; a gaggle of child actors delivering admirable horror performances; and an ending to a short horror film that doesn’t feel like a copout. This one takes off in a major way, straight to hell.