While there's much uncertainty around the term Daeva, though it is generally regarded as having its roots in old Iranian, there's no mistaking its evil in the new short film of the same name from co-writers/directors Murad Aldin Amayreh and Mustafa Eshaznada. 

In the film, Kevin Allen is Steve, whose relationship with Sara (Shee Dueitt) is on the brink of collapse and whose desperation to maintain that relationship leads him down a dark road of desperation that may very well bring Sara back but will do so at a cost he could have never imagined. 

Daeva, at 14 minutes in running time, amps up the conflict quickly and is a particularly effective horror short once the wheels are set in motion for the horror to begin. The film benefits greatly from Adam Fazel's intense, suspenseful original music and lensing by Ryan C. Spencer that is intimate and intrusive simultaneously. Daeva's ensemble cast is uniformly strong, though a special mention must go to Shee Dueitt for a performance that is both vulnerable and rather horrifying. 

Only recently completed, Daeva had its world premiere in May at the Starlight Cinema Theater in Anaheim Hills and is now in the process of being submitted to indie fests throughout the country. For more information on the film, visit its offical Facebook page linked to in the credits. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic