Bad Habit (Short)
Starring Sarah French, Brian Daniel Porter, Earl Milton
Directed by Joe Filipas
Available from badhabit.vhx.tv with a 33% discount for Dread Central readers (use the code “DREAD”)
They always say the first step to getting over a bad habit is the ability to admit that you have one, and in the case of Joe Filipas’s self-help short film Bad Habit, we see the effects of a recovering killer (French) trying her hardest to subdue those homicidal urges at every turn, considering she’s facing insurmountable odds every day of her life. Get your pens and something to write on, kids – the doctor’s in session, and I think you might like to hear what he’s got to say.
French plays a woman whose uncontrollable compulsions to cut, stab, and slash are growing stronger with every mundane day at work – with a babbling storyteller at her back, a leering douche across the office, and a boss that is as monotonous as watching a test pattern, it’s no surprise that this woman needs a little therapy. Her only hope for rehab comes in the audio form of Dr. David Dale, a self-help guru who chirps away endlessly throughout the short about hurdling those distractions and feeling better about yourself… all the while our blonde bombshell stabs away at her notepad. Did I also mention the makeshift torture room at her home? Yeah, sorry for leaving that one out.
In the midst of this 20-minute display, we see our murderous maven look endlessly into the camera with eyes that could cut through an engine block (in a good way, of course) – plotting her next moment of slaughterous deviance. What works so well about this short is that we’ve got an absolutely angelic-looking woman, who with just a glance could turn any man into jello; yet, behind those eyes lies something infinitely more vicious. Taking pleasure in hacking up a strung-up piece of meat or disrobing into a clear rain-slicker so as to not spill any vital fluids upon her clothes was a nice touch added to the short from director Joe Filipas.
With absolutely no dialogue to speak of from French herself, it merely adds to the mystery of how this woman got to this point and why she enjoys what she does so much. The lovely leading lady carries this quickie to excellence, and my only question that remains is this: Why can’t we catapult this actress to some seriously titanic scream queen roles? Okay, rant over.
In the end, I can certainly recommend this short to anyone who’s trying their hardest to get over whatever vice has taken over their life – be it smoking, drinking, gambling, or hacking innocent fools into shreds without mercy… because the doctor is always “in,” and I’m sure he’d be glad to help you as well.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
