Full of atmosphere and akin to the devilishly good short stories we once devoured in shows like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, every minute of Carr’s twisted Grandma is Thirsty, playing at BFI London Film Festival, is a kooky delight.
Contains spoilers.
Grandma is indeed very thirsty in writer and director Kris Carr’s atmospheric and eerie horror short showing at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. Young George, played brilliantly by relative newcomer Harris Kiiza, is sick of being bullied. Every day on his way to school, he faces his nemesis, two older boys, who steal from him with threats of violence. George wishes he were bigger and stronger, because then he could protect himself and retrieve his belongings. But alas, George knows growing up takes time, and he will have to endure the boys’ torment and attention for some time yet.
On a day that starts like any other, George packs his new rucksack for school and leaves the house, knowing the boys will be waiting. And hey presto, there they are, waiting to claim another new bag from his shoulder. Deflated George sits on a bench in a small courtyard, pondering his predicament, until two creepy-looking twins around the same age join him, sitting on either side of him, penning him in. George has never seen them before, but he is polite as they introduce themselves as Benny (Harrison Little) and Bronte (Jessie Johnson). It is immediately clear that Benny and Bronte are more than a bit strange; their voices are identical yet somehow defy their age, and their mannerisms are stilted and unearthly. They know George is being bullied, and they offer him a solution: a playdate at their house, where their Grandma can make him big and strong.
Now we all know, George should run a mile and leave the creepy twins on the bench, but he is desperate for a solution to his woes, and so he follows them back to their home. The house is dark, dated and drab, yet it intrigues young George, as Benny and Bronte pour him a glass of what appears to be thick, gone-off milk. While the twins guzzle their “milkies” down with little concern, George politely declines his drink and is told by the twins that Grandma only comes down at midnight, and therefore, he must stay until then. George wants out! But the doors are locked, the windows sealed, and even a cleverly suggested game of hide and seek can’t rid him of the creepy twins’ presence. But things are about to get a whole lot weirder for George as the clock ticks down to midnight and Grandma stirs, then rises.
There is a hell of a lot to love in Carr’s old-school horror treat, from its eerie twins to its ancient Grandma, who, much like the Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus and Amy Madigan’s Gladys in this year’s hit, Weapons, feeds on the youth of others. Full of atmosphere and akin to the devilishly good short stories we once devoured in shows like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, every minute of Carr’s twisted “Grandma, we love you” story is a kooky delight. From cracking practical effects to brilliant set and sound design, and some truly outstanding performances from its young cast, this deliciously dark horror treat leaves you thirsty for more.
Grandma is Thirsty is screening at the BFI London Film Festival in the “Pulling the Rug Out” Short Film Collection.
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