Every day during October, the Department of Tangents presents a different short film for the Daily Horror Film Fest. It can be flat-out scary, funny horror, or just plain creepy. Last year’s shorts program at the Salem Horror Fest was filled with wonderful nuggets, and I’ll be sharing a few of them this month. Today’s entry is Undress Me, written and directed by Amelia Moses.
This is an incredibly uncomfortable story, not only for the body horror but for the psychological terror it portrays. An awkward college freshman initiates a one-stand at a frat party, only to find it changes her in a very disturbing way. Moses makes exquisite use of simple practical effects to show the woman’s deterioration. I had to force myself not to look away several times.
And the ending certainly leaves you with a lot to think about. I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say that Moses seems to be very much engaged by the consequences of false or forced intimacy. And her take in Undress Me feels particularly resonant for the times. You can find more of her stuff on her Web site, and keep an eye out for her next film, Bleed With Me, which begins production in January of 2019.