It's Lea's last night before she leaves for a new life, but any thought she has of getting a good night's sleep is disrupted by a mysterious presence in Harry Crossman's anxiety-filled, engaging indie horror short Scuttle. 

The film stars Rachel Lin as Lea, whom we don't so much get to know as we get to experience as her seemingly calm night is disrupted by something that is determined to keep her final night in her current home from being anything but peaceful. Lin's calm demeanor as Lea amps up the suspense the more she attempts to discover the secret of this mysterious, eerily sinister presence. 

Lensing by Emma Barrott and Hannah Green is filled with darkness and dread, while Rhys Williamson's special effects are quietly naturalistic yet kind of icky gruesome. Clara Adriana Todirau works wonders with the film's use of prosthetics design and make-up, taking a low-budget indie and making it all work beautifully. 

There's little denying, however, that this is Rachel Lin's film and she most certainly delivers in abundance. As the presence in question, Joe Smith takes a relatively bit role and makes it work. 

Nico Metten's sound design drives it all home with a sparse, semi-industrial sense of dread that fits perfectly within this dimly lit domestic setting. 

Scuttle has already been named as an official selection at Picture Show Panic and Fantasm's Shock Reel Cinema Film Festival and should have no problem continuing on its indie fest run with possibilities particularly high on the indie horror circuit. 

For more information on Scuttle, visit the film's Facebook page linked to in the credits. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic