There’s nothing more modern than taking a selfie. Filmmaker Alex Magaña exploits this simplicity with a 4-minute horror flick aptly titled “Selfie.” Told between text and pic messages between a guy and a girl, “Selfie” has legit scares and a perfect atmosphere for effective horror.
Small Cast
We only see three nameless characters. Katy Ford plays the girl; Riley Introcaso plays the guy. Each are at their respective homes, phones in hand, conversing via text. They like each other. He wants a sexy selfie as men are wont to do. As the pic comes to his screen, he sees an ominous figure in the room behind her hiding amidst the shadows.
Both Katy Ford and Riley Introcaso are effective at conveying fear while limited to facial expressions. There’s virtually no dialogue as they communicate the way we all do these days—text. You’ll yell at the characters on screen to put the damn phones down and get out, but its par for the course with today’s youths. Rory Ross lends support.
What gives the creepfactor its power is the intruder is only visible in the pics on the phone screen. He’s behind them in photos and video calls, but not in reality. It begs the question, is he even there at all? I could see the concept being extended to a full-length dump month horror picture.
Give “Selfie” 4 minutes of your time. Its short and sweet. You can watch the director’s cut on YouTube.
