ROAD TRASH *** USA 2019 Dir: Natasha Pascetta. 6 mins
Writer-director Natasha Pascetta also plays the eponymous Alice in this cautionary tale told, in lieu of dialogue, by narrator Heather Langenkamp. “Some girls like make-up, others play sports. Alice was just a little different…” intones the erstwhile Nancy Thompson as we meet the black clad young woman in question – a gal with a moral compulsion to bury roadkill. During one of her routine clean-ups, she discovers a weird skull and a ticket for “Werewolf Wednesday” at the cinema. Pascetta’s tidy, fun short incorporates some 80’s horror references, from THE HOWLING poster to Jason and Freddy standees, plus the “Stick to the road…” warning of impending doom from AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. It also sports a quite impressive old-school werewolf and a pleasantly macabre punchline. James Malone contributes an infectious, guitar-rock original score and Pascetta is quite striking in the lead role.
Review by Steven West