INTERNATIONAL HORROR
Short Film Review – “The Carriage or: Dracula & My Mother”
Review by Justin T. Bowler
I love shorts and indies because they are willing to try new things. The vision of the filmmaker is often refreshing and innovative. That is exactly the way I would describe Ben Gordon’s short film: refreshing and innovative. “The Carriage or: Dracula & My Mother” is the story of “director Ben Gordon, who spends Christmas with his family. But the Christmas cheer soon fades when a sinister carriage mysteriously appears at the house and Ben is blinded to his family’s safety by the golden opportunity to film something momentous, terrible as it might be…”
With a storytelling style that is a mix of traditional narrative, jump cuts, multiple languages, and first person footage, this 15 minute film never gives you a chance to look away. He packs in a lot, in a tiny amount of time. With a little bit of blood, zero nudity, and a simple story, audiences are left wanting more and definitely creeped out. Like every great horror movie, it has it’s own specific images that stick with you long after the film is finished. Plus, he does all of that without the horrific shock and disgust we have come to expect from today’s horror films like “The Hills Have Eyes”. I definitely applaud his new vision. I was able to catch up with Ben and interview him a bit, so, for your information and education…
What was the inspiration of the story for you as a writer? The inspiration for the short came from circumstance and the carriage itself, originally a prop on a Tony Kaye (“American History X”) beer commercial that I worked on. I was given it by the production company. It was parked on my mother’s land for years and, needless to say, she finally wanted to get rid of it. Christmas time was rolling around, so the question was, how can I devise a script that involves Christmas, my family and the getting rid of a carriage?
It is very stylized, so what influences were you working with as a director? Again, circumstance dictated our approach and style to a certain degree. The idea of using a mockumentary approach came from a friend of mine, Kasper Heftholm Kristensen (programmer at CPHPIX). Given that none of us had ever acted before, it was also clear that the filming process was going to need a great deal of improvisation to flesh out nuggets of good performance. The mockumentary approach lent itself to that wonderfully.
Is there more to the story? There is more to the story, but entertainment first! For many years I’ve been drawn to the contradictions inherent in the notion of belonging – the conflictual relationship between cultural identity and geography. The lifeblood-sucking vampire, interested in blood, regardless of whose it is, seemed like a good metaphor for mutual fear felt by two opposed communities. Hence the roots The Carriage’s vampire employs, instead of fangs. But the film was far too short to go into this notion in any depth without condemning it to malfunction within its genre.
What is the goal of the short? The goal of the short is to entertain on as many levels as possible, though it’s also true that I have a feature script finished and raring to go that, while not even of the same genre, picks up on a lot of the short’s cues.
Why did you submit it to the Phoenix Film Festival? I have a soft spot for Phoenix ever since Kimber Lanning offered me a photography show at the Phoenix-based gallery Modified Arts in 2003. I found Phoenix’s geography fascinating. When I saw that the Phoenix Festival had a horror section, I jumped at the opportunity!
Where did you shoot it? Most of the short was shot in and around my mother’s country house in Mijas, Andalusia (Southern Spain).
What did you shoot it with? The movie was shot on HD video, the mockumentary parts on HDV and the rest on Canon 5Ds.
How many festivals has it been in? So far the short has participated in four festivals: the Telluride Horror Show, Rojo Sangre Buenos Aires, Aurora and Phoenix. Its next festival will be the Little Rock Horror Picture Show in mid-May.
Is there a website for the film? www.thecarriagemovie.com, or BenGordon.net, or, of course… www.imdb.com/title/tt3157036/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1
How many awards? This is its first award and I’m honored, thrilled and surprised by it!
“The Carriage: Dracula & My Mother” won the award for Best Horror Short while in Phoenix.
Watch the trailer HERE.
Your indie film reviewer,
Justin Bowler
@JustinTBowler
