Welcome back to another blog! In today’s blog I am going to be discussing why David F. Sandberg is the best low budget horror short film director by looking at my top 5 favourite films! As you can properly tell I am a big fan! I just love the simplistic vibe he uses in his shorts.
Now low budget short films are films that have had no funding from productions companies or major investors. Many first time directors begin shooting short films to prove their talents before doing bigger productions. David F. Sandberg, best known for he’s low budget horror short films, has created many short films for Youtube and has even gone on to direct feature films. Such as the Annabelle Creation. Married to the main actress of these films (Lotta Losten) the pair co-produced these short films while David also directed, wrote, edited and shot them. All of his props are bought from IKEA and Ebay and the horrors are generally only filmed in two rooms. All these opinions are my own.
So let’s begin…..
5 “Closet Space”
Compared to his other short films, David F. Sandberg dabbled in a twilight zone effect when creating this short! With no budget David managed to pull off a well light horror short that still made fans jump for their pillows. The narrative follows a young woman moving into a new apartment when she discovers that if she puts her belongings in the closet they multiply. Until she puts Sandberg himself in there and he disappears! Without giving away too much of the twist. This short is simplistic and goes against everything a typical horror needs to create that scare factor. It’s well light, a little non diegetic sound and the fear is that you can actually see the horror rather than doubting your imagination.
4 “Cam Closer”
Uncomfortable long takes, dim lighting and non diegetic sounds all make “Cam Closer” a super agonising watch. The short film starts with leading lady, Lotta Losten taking photos of her cup of tea and apple. Then she discovers that her eyesight is playing tricks on her. But surely nothing can be altering her vision to see things that do not exist? Oh you bet they can! For a short film I paused this way too much! Just waiting to be scared which is everything anyone asks for a short film! In my opinion David nailed the suspense within every shot! He had me covering my eyes and trying to skip to the end just so I could see what the suspense was for.
3 “ Coffer”
No real monster. Just suspense and a hidden monster in a trunk. "Coffer" begins with the protagonist laying on her sofa until she hears a bang inside her trunk. Without spoiling the climax too much, this short takes low budget film making to the next level. Sandberg doesn't even use a visible monster, just a hand. But it still creates suspense. Which just proves that your imagination is way more powerful than any special effects monster.
2 “Attic Panic”
Being trapped in a small space is bad enough but when lights start flickering and you're being attacked by a ghost type monster, that is pretty much the worst. "Attic panic" begins with Lotta Losten collecting belongings from her attic when she thinks she sees something move! But it's just a sheet, that's not a monster! Incorrect! This short uses the fear that the protagonist is not alone. The monster is very simplistic which is what you would expect from a low budget short horror film. By using just a sheet it automatically creates the fear of, who is underneath and plays on the fears of a child's imagination. As the monster symbolises a child's halloween costume.
1 “Lights Out”
So finally we are on to number 1! And of course if you know David F. Sandberg and his work you will agree that Lights out is his all time best short horror film! The narrative follows a woman getting ready to go to bed when she witnesses shadows and paranormal happenings around her, making it hard for her to go to sleep. Sandberg uses a combination of digetic and non diegetic sound to build audience suspense. Which is very important in low budget short films because the Director needs to build suspense as they do not have the budget to add expensive graphics in editing so therefore this plays on the audiences emotions.
This short film gained 15 million views on YouTube and has since been made into a feature film and grossed $148 million.
Thank you for reading this week's blog on my top 5 David F. Sandberg horror short films. I hope you enjoyed!
Love from Becky
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