Bosner’s Devotee is a love letter to the horror genre’s ability to create an immediate and inescapable sense of dread, as it embraces the atmosphere of classic ’60s and ’70s horror while equally paying homage to far more recent screen terrors, such as Saint Maud. Devotee recently premiered at the Hollyshorts Film Festival.
Some short films are designed to leave you begging for more. They offer a window onto a much larger story, only to close it just when things get interesting. These short films tantalise us by sparking our interest as we sit glued to the screen, only to leave us hanging. Richard J. Bosner’s Devotee at a brisk seven minutes is one of those films.
For any kid, their home is supposed to be a place of safety, security and love; it’s a sanctuary where you can escape the horrors of the world outside your door. But for young Ray (Grant Feely), the home is no longer a safe place; it’s a hilltop hideaway full of secrets he is determined to uncover and understand.
Equipped with a dial-up internet connection and a mid-to-late 90s computer (hinting at the time we find ourselves in), Ray searches, “What is a Cult?” The results highlight the faces of previous deadly cult leaders, images of bodies and the warning signs of cult indoctrination. Suddenly, it’s clear that his mother, Loraine (Mackenzie Firgens), is involved in a cult, and his home is no longer a sanctuary but a prison from which he must escape. But as Ray walks through the silent home searching for his mother, she waits patiently in the shadows, her mind no longer her own.
Bosner’s Devotee is a love letter to the horror genre’s ability to create an immediate and inescapable sense of dread, as it embraces the atmosphere of classic ‘60s and ’70s horror while equally paying homage to far more recent screen terrors, such as Saint Maud.
Brian Rigney Hubbard’s cinematography transforms the warm tones of a once-happy family home into an eerie maze of darkness and shadows as Ray explores the house in search of his mum. But the real horror of this seven-minute short sits within the heartbreaking and vivid final moments we spend with Ray and Loraine, as a mother’s instinct to protect her child overcomes the power of the indoctrination that has seized her. Here, Devotee suddenly and sharply takes our breath away, leaving us eager to uncover the entire story behind this seven-minute snapshot of a horrific moment in time.
Follow Us