A slice of modern horror.
File this under “careful what you wish for” with a modern twist. In The Ting, a short horror-comedy of sorts from director Jeremy Cole, two British young folk run into each other after one has just discovered the decapitated body of their weed dealer. In a mad dash at the scene, fella takes the dealer’s hi-tech phone, which he plans to sell. But in the course of showing the phone to his friend, the two discover that unlike Siri, Cortana or Alexa, this OS actually grants wishes. To say much more would be to give away the ending, so I’ll just call it a cyclical tale of fulfillment and consequences.
Shot in one location with two actors and clocking in at just over three minutes, The Ting is simplicity done right. It captures culture and atmosphere and establishes its premise in no time flat, resulting in a completely-realized cinematic world in which the fanciful isn’t shaded that way, it’s a part of life. Like the best of Black Mirror, The Ting is only a millimeter off our real world, but in that minor margin there’s unlimited potential for perspective-altering adjustments.
Related Topics: Horror, Short Films
