Director – Dixie Gers (Piggy)
Starring – Dixie Gers, Roni Jonah (Shark Exorcist, Cannibal Cop), and Adam Freeman (Reunion from Hell, Cannibal Hookers)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 3/5
A couple years ago I befriended actress and filmmaker Dixie Gers while she was promoting her first short film as director. Piggy was a fantastic film that not only showed how talented she is behind the camera,as well as, in front of it. Since then I’ve seen her in the Criminally Insane remake Crazy Fat Ethel along with several other films. She’s a talented actress that I’m a huge fan of.
A few weeks ago Dixie started sharing images and artwork for her newest short Secrets of the Witches on Facebook. I was curious about the project but before I could reach out to her about it she surprised me with a link to the online screener. I want to thank Dixie for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to check this one out.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a backyard party where a live band plays while everyone sets around drinking. A woman walks through the crowd surveying them all before she eventually picks her target. When he goes to piss she knocks him out. When he awakens he discovers that he is tied to posts with other men while several women stand around them. Soon their real intentions are reveals and it’s not good for these men. **Spoiler Alert**
I love how effective a short can be. We get a story that’s not watered down or stretch to get that feature length running time. Instead, its straight to the point and often fun for the running time. Secrets of the Witch was an enjoyable short but it is one of the few instances where I wish there was more to it. I really liked it but I have more questions than answers.
The acting in this one is solid. The cast isn’t given a lot of time to actually interact with other characters with the film running around 11 minutes long and most of it is spent tied to posts. I liked the casting but I feel that the film has several seriously talented names attached to it and the fact we don’t get to see more from them is a little disappointing.
The story for this one is short and straight to the point but I have so many questions after watching it. As I stated earlier, the film runs about 11 minutes but could easily be a feature length film. It has a great set up but the short doesn’t give you the reason why? Sure, they are witches and even though I’m a guy I can still understand the urge to cut off some bro’s pecker but I need more to it than that. Some more meat on the bone so to speak. Aside from the shorts lack of substance I still enjoyed the imagery and the little bit of story we do have.
Finally, the film has some solid practical effects and a few scenes will make most men squirm in their seat. It’s fucking bloody and I feel violated for just watching it. Overall, Secrets of the Witch is a decent short from actress and filmmaker Dixie Gers. She shows so much promise especially when you consider that this is her second time behind the camera. I would love to see her expand on this one and give us a feature length film about a coven of dick hating witches. I highly recommend it.
