Film Maudit 2.0 Festival Presents SUSPENSE Film Review — It Lurks In The Trees

Parachute caught in a tree, a pilot hangs in the woods, surrounded by fog and silence. The only sounds we hear are his curses and calls for help. Somewhere on the ground his partner Dave answers him. He’s waving his flashlight, and for a moment, we believe they’ll sort out what went wrong with the plane.

Then it attacks. Dave is tackled and his flashlight falls backwards. The pilot yanks at his parachute and ignites a flare, but nothing scares it from climbing up to him.

The tension in Suspense aligns with its title. The pilot, played by Jelani Talib, struggles with the harness of his parachute as the creature slowly scales the tree. When it pauses, Talib does too. Their silence makes the seven-minute short feel longer than it is. Then just as quickly, it scrambles toward him and his panicking resumes.

In this writer’s opinion, the highlight of the short is Talib’s performance. His urgency is palpable through not only his cries for help but also his panicked actions.

This short is recommended for viewers who enjoy a gradual buildup of fright and danger.

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Run time: 7 Minutes

CAST:

Jelani Talib
Robert Coppage III as Dave

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director/Writer: Ben Burghart and Jacob Burghart
Producer: Holton Witman
Music: Zach Robinson
Film Editing: Edward Schroer

Watch Suspense on the Film Maudit 2.0 website.

Images Courtesy of Film Maudit 2.0