{"id":2110,"date":"2017-10-10T11:21:14","date_gmt":"2017-10-10T15:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/?p=2110"},"modified":"2017-10-10T11:21:14","modified_gmt":"2017-10-10T15:21:14","slug":"daily-horror-film-fest-merv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/2017\/10\/10\/daily-horror-film-fest-merv\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Horror Film Fest: Merv"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every day in October, the Department of Tangents Blog & Podcast is presenting a different short horror film. Some frightful, some delightful, like today\u2019s entry, Merv<\/em>, a post-apocalyptic tale directed by Matt Inns and written by Inns and Steven Woller, presented by Little Dragon Pictures<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This one\u2019s an anomaly. You won\u2019t often see a story set in the post-apocalypse this charming and hopeful. Merv, our man in the bunker, is terrified of the world outside. As well he should be. It\u2019s a harsh wasteland with a burned out city for a skyline and red dust blowing in the wind. But he checks his radio constantly, and waters his tiny plant every day. Why? Because more has to be possible. But when he\u2019s presented with the possibility, he is fearful, then hostile. <\/p>\n

Merv<\/em> shows us how silly we can be when we act out of fear and how beautiful we can be when we act out of kindness. I\u2019m almost sad to include it in a \u201cHorror Film Fest,\u201d but it\u2019s the horror here that sets up the beauty. It\u2019s a well-constructed film \u2013 the story is delightful, the cinematography is striking, and the sound design is perfect. It might be the one short I post this month that makes you glad to be alive. <\/p>\n