THE GAME OF THE CLOCK ** UK 2019 Dir: Michele Olivieri. 8 mins
A woman looking for “Susan” unwittingly steps into a deadly trap in Michele Olivieri’s short film, The Game of the Clock. This short film challenges its victim to survive five minutes in Susan’s apartment full of deafening sounds, dangerous situations, and disgusting objects hanging around along with a horrific creature lurking in the shadows. Its escape room-like scenario is simple and bizarre with a classic twist that shows that like most horror games, this one does not play by the rules.
The Game of the Clock is an awkward, confusing movie that utilizes sudden sounds and minimal gore to drive its horrific premise. There’s no time for character development or even plot. It dives right in, building suspense and an eerie atmosphere until the monster strikes. Its lead, and practically only, character, played by Simone Mumford, turns out a solid performance, and it does deliver some interesting visuals in its small, eerily-lit space, but it could use a better-established plot and a more fleshed-out villain to beef up its already short runtime.
Review by Laura Smith
THE GAME OF THE CLOCK is available to watch HERE and HERE