Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom, The (Short, 2016)
Starring Shannon Scott, Mark Dossett, Jacob Bradley
Directed by Mark Dossett
Sometimes it’s all in the anticipation instead of the action itself, and director Mark Dossett opted to go for the anticipation in order to rattle viewers with his latest, The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom – did his gamble pay off? Well, step inside, you lunatics, and let’s flip this thing over and scrape the residue off and just see what’s left, shall we?
Shannon Scott plays our lead lady-in-peril, Laurie, and her crippling agoraphobic nature has left her holed up in her house, with only the TV, radio, and occasional phone calls from her mother to keep her from completely losing her mind. This, my fellow fiends, is where the anticipation builds… and builds… did I mention that the build-up is intended and deliberate? Okay, just checking.
Laurie’s self-imposed imprisonment has left her wondering if she truly left that light on in the other room that she swore she shut off, or exactly where did that loud sound just boom from in that darkened corner of the house? Is it all in the overactive mind of a reclusive shut-in or the product of something much, much bigger? Laurie’s worry becomes a bit more substantial as the movie trods along, and although it’s only got a runtime of a little over 60 minutes, it’s not shy with making you wait before the real terror ramps up. The beauty in all of this is that the formula is simple, to the point, and doesn’t come off too terribly overdone in its presence.
Scott is fantastic in her first ever gig as the trembling lass (filmed in 2014), and her facial expressions that embody fear and worry are worth the price of admission alone. The film for the most part is really a one-person act, and Scott holds her ground for the majority of the movie, although I would have liked to maybe have seen a bit of a delve into her past – seeing just what got her to this point of not wanting to step foot outside her home would have been a nice bonus, although I won’t complain (which is what I normally do).
Make no mistake… outside of the minuscule budget and short runtime, The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom is foreboding, plain and simple. It just takes a bit of time to unwrap the horror that serves as the reward. RECOMMENDED.
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Film
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