I challenge you to not fall madly in love with Violet Butterfield, the delightful center of writer/director Brooke H. Cellars' 12-minute comedy horror short film Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead. 

Helping her clients find the beauty in death they could have had in life, Violet is an absolute charmer the moment Michelle Colón looks at the screen with something between mesmerizing nostalgia and John Waters Schlock in her eyes. Colón owns the screen and we have the privilege of watching her come to life. Shot on 16mm, Violet Butterfield has unsurprisingly been a popular flick on the festival circuit with right about a couple dozen screenings and several awards along the way including a Best Actress nod for Colón at Knoxville Horror Film festival and a Best Director win for Cellars at Houston Horror Film Festival among others. 

With a female writer, director, producer, and editor, Violet Butterfield is a dazzler the way it splashes on the screen with a retro-horror vibe and characters who make you not only smile but actually feel something along the way. In addition to Colón's top-notch performance, Trevor Chapman absolutely dazzles as Marvin and Martini Bear is truly inspired as Shirley Temple Tantrum. 

If I ever have a child, I'm naming them Shirley Temple Tantrum.

Original music by Christine Peirce is an awesome companion to the film's unique vibes and Levi Porter's lensing for the film is creative, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt in capturing the magnificent ways in which Violet connects with her clients. 

There's so much to love here and Violet Butterfield is the kind of short film that you watch and then you automatically want to watch it over and overa again. With ample doses of heart, humor, and makeup, Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead is an absolute winner. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic