Slash-In-The-Box (2011)

You won't be disappointed!

Good movie but grossly overrated

Fantastic!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

"Slash-in-the-Box" is a 5-minute short film from five years ago that was written and directed by Nick Everhart. It shows us the life of a couple and what happens when the man brings home a jack-in-the-box for whatever reason. Apparently, the little cube is cursed or something, or possessed with an evil spirit as it certainly has a life on its own and keeps wreaking havoc. It is a mix of comedy and horror, but I personally felt it does not turn out convincingly in either of these two areas. Plus the female actress was pretty bad and I wonder if she had any purpose really other than showing us her great looks and curves in her night outfit. The guy is slightly better, but also far from good enough to carry this little movie. I hope Everhart managed to improve in the five years since this was made, otherwise I cannot foresee a great character for him in the industry. As for this one here, I do not recommend the watch.

As far as clichés go, Slash-in-the-Box has them all: possessed toys, ball bouncing down stairs, hot female lead, wise-ass male lead, clowns, overly- curious characters, and wondering a dark house at night (though they actually turned a light on which is unheard of). There were a couple clever scenes but aside from that there's not much to be gained from watching this. A couple jumpscares might get you here and there but personally I loath jumpscares and think they're very short- lasting and uncreative ways to scare your audience. The gore wasn't too overdone, as I would've expected it to be in such a cliché of a short. Overall it wasn't bad though, the cinematography, acting and special effects were actually really good, the story and idea itself were just very dull and the methods to convey said story and idea were way too cliché for my liking.

The short film is almost perfect!!! It has everything to be a great horror movie....And in just 5 minutes!!!! It's impossible!!! But you made it! The atmosphere was normal but disturbing. Is strange, is a normal house but anyway you can feel than something is not right. The sound is terrific!!! I loved the idea of not being able to see the little slayer and what happened with the body, but its sound made me nervous. And the cliché of the mirror was so cool! It has humor. That is important (I think so)because if you don't, the horror could be extremely disgusting. The movement of the head was perfect. I can't figured out how could it enter in the box, because the box looks smaller than the head. Never mind anyway. I didn't give 10 because it not scared me, and I didn't like the blood so much (I don't know why)and it disappears when the woman comes into the kitchen...for some reason... But it were only minor things. The final result is really wonderful. I never tire of seeing again and again. And every time I watch it I find a new detail to admire.

Most horror shorts show their low budget with bad lighting, poor acting, and/or cheap effects.Slash-In-The-Box wins on all fronts. At five minutes, it runs the risk of being too long for a "hit viral video" but the pacing is excellent, and it never feels like it's dragging. The actors look great, the cinematography is beautiful, and while the jump scares may not work as well as the director probably imagines, the last shot is the payoff that the entire piece builds toward, and it works wonderfully. In fact, I'm not sure how they did it, but it's a neat bit of effects magic.This is a perfect example of a simple concept executed extremely well. The director and his team (including Producer/DP Leigh Scott of Transmorphers infamy) come from a sordid history of terrible DTV schlock, but they seems to be making up for it here. Can't wait to see what else these filmmakers have up their sleeves.