As much as it pains me to say it, there aren’t many female directors who work primarily in the horror/scifi/thriller genre. When a female does brave the bloody waters of this genre we, as horror fans, need to stand up and show some support. Luckily, Death Follows is a shining example of independent film making and showcases the talent of Carmela Hayslett as one of the most promising female directors in the game.
Death Follows is written and directed by Carmela Hayslett, who also plays the lead in this short film. Other cast members include Dave Shaver, Aimee Cassada, Bryan DeSanto, Aimee Theresa, Kimberly Bada, Jeni Miller, Christopher Walter, and Dan Dye.
In Death Follows, “A young woman is vulnerable to her terrible impulse to kill at any given moment. Not ever being aware of what she’s doing until after it’s done leaves her with an inability to control it. After confessing to her therapist and trying to turn herself in to the police she becomes suspicious as to why she’s never held accountable for her actions. Is she really committing these murders or is it a question of her own psychosis?”
This short film was created mostly by Carmela Hayslett with help from Christian Jude Grillo. The pair are the head honchos at Potent Media, and if you’ve seen any of their other titles – Deer Crossing, Eliza’s Diary, the Apocalypse Kiss trailer – then you know they are masters at creating appealing horror stories. Death Follows showcases Hayslett’s skills as a writer and director and proves she is just as an important part of Potent Media as her counterpart. I’ll even add that Death Follows is a step above Hayslett’s directorial film debut in Eliza’s Diary.
What I enjoyed most about Death Follows is that it didn’t take the traditional route of expanding on a pre-existing idea. It takes an old concept, kicks the door open, and says ‘screw expanding, I’m going to ADD to this idea.’ I always applaud originality in a genre where almost every plot has been repeated in some fashion. This short film doesn’t have all the stereotypical horror clichés, which makes for a much more enjoyable viewing. The story unfolds in the recesses of your mind – as YOU try to put the pieces of the puzzle together – and this is accompanied by what you see on screen. Death Follows will keep you guessing from start to finish.
Looking at it from a film making standpoint, Death Follows is pretty much perfect. All the actors pulled in great performances, with my favorite actually being from Aimee Cassada. I can’t recollect any production error, whether it be in editing, lighting, sound quality… The only critique is when a character gets killed I would have liked to see a lot more blood in relation to the injury they sustained.
Death Follows is an original, virtually perfect horror tale of recurrent, psychotic memories (or are they reality?). Building on the mystery that surrounds the plot, viewers will be kept in suspense from bloody start to brutal finish. Death Follows will put Carmela Hayslett on the map as one of the most up-and-coming female directors in the horror genre and I cannot wait to see what she does when she producers her own feature length flick.
This gets 8.5 out of 10 stars from me, folks!
