The festival run continues for writer/director James Ersted's 5-minute indie horror short The Premonition, a deliciously dark and creepy effort starring Betsy Baker, Linda from the original The Evil Dead, as Miss Hooper, a seemingly rather kindly woman who's dressed to the nines both inside and outside her home as Halloween arrives and the kiddoes start knocking on her door. The kiddoes in question include an appearance from one of cinema's currently hot faces, Evan Alex from Jordan Peele's Us, a role the young actor landed not long after making this more indie yet similarly impactful horror short. 

The story that unfolds in The Premonition is simple, Miss Hooper enjoying herself immensely as Halloween night unfolds and the creepiness enfolds us as an unexpected guest arrives at her doorstep. 

To give away anything else in this breezy, blink and it's over short film would be criminal because watching it unfold is all of the fun. However, suffice it to say that Baker is absolutely the key ingredient that makes The Premonition such an absolute delight. You never quite know what to make of Baker's Miss Hooper, whose persona seems to exist somewhere along the lines of slightly quirked grandmotherly type with just a hint of unpredictable edge. 

The rest of the film's ensemble cast plays along quite nicely, while Ersted's own original score gives the film a retro-vibed creepy aura that practically melts itself into your skin. Sayer Danforth's lensing for the film is strangely warm yet almost suffocating, while Nina Rocklin's costume design is absolutely sublime. 

For more information on The Premonition, be sure to check out the film's Facebook page linked to in the credits and you'll definitely want to check this film out if it comes to a festival near you. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic