PHANTOMS OF THE FOG **** USA 2018 Dir: C.M. Lazer. 14 mins
It’s perhaps surprising that more horror films haven’t used the oft-filmed Vietnam War as a suitably grim backdrop for genre shenanigans. This 1966-set short takes place during the conflict, following the plight of a lone American soldier wandering around in search of fellow survivors and running into freshly emerged maggot-ridden cadavers.
From the EC Comics-style decayed zombies to the soft, hazy retro-70’s look and an on-screen eyeball poking, Lazer makes no secret of his Fulci-dominated inspirations, and it captures the visual style, sound and feel of the period’s Euro horror. It’s effectively dialogue-free until the coda unveils a familiar reason for the zombie uprising: nefarious experiments courtesy of our friends at the American government. An evocative, nostalgia-inducing short.
Review by Steven West