Caleb J. Phillips’ short horror piece “Other Side of the Box” is a concept film that keeps its atmosphere simple and its horror contained. Its set piece—an old friend drops off a present to one of the main stars (Ben, played by Nick Tag)—has elements of other films (see “The Gift,” “It Follows”). The alarm that the film raises, as well as some of the fear, is earned. However, the short suffers somewhat by setting up too many elements in too short a run-time, and, to me, showing too much. However, Phillips does enough right to make this a spooky production. And its many positive reviews in the YouTube comment section and solid 7.6 rating on IMDb show it may have found its niche.
The film’s opening is professional quality, featuring the aforementioned Ben cooking dinner with his girlfriend Rachel (Teagan Rose). The rapport the two have, and the bouncy chemistry between them is top notch; it could easily be featured in a feature film of any genre. The lighting, audio track, dialogue, and chemistry between the two is perfect.
A Solid Indie with High Production Value
The perfect dinner is quick interrupted by an old friend of Ben’s, Shawn (Josh Schnell) ringing the doorbell. Rachel doesn’t want to see him; there’s a clear history there, but the film chooses not to explore it. Ben invites him in, though, and Shawn, holding a present, gives it to Ben, insisting he open it. Ben also clearly wants to see Rachel—why isn’t much explored—but given the film’s ending, a number of questions present themselves.
At any rate, Shawn opens the box that has a card (Shawn tells him it will ‘make more sense after opening’). It’s a simple box, except in the center is a black void. It looks like the center of a black hole—there’s simply nothing there. Shawn runs out the door while Ben grabs a flashlight and looks in the void. He drops a pencil in; it is swallowed, only to return later out of nowhere. Rachel appears and the two become alarmed as the box presents its ‘contents:’ half of a man’s head appears. The card, attached to the present is a handwritten letter from Shawn. It details he ‘doesn’t have the whole thing figured out,’ but states if you don’t look away ‘it’ doesn’t move.
Setting Up an Eerie Climax; Does ‘Other Side of the Box’ Show Too Much?
My only real complaint with this short is that it’s too short (at 15 minutes) to explore its concepts fully. It also shows too much for such a short film. We see a man’s head peeking out of the box (he’s played by Tyler Pochop) with SFX I give great credit to. We don’t know what it represents, but we see it. I can’t help but wonder, given the anxiety of the ensuing scene—as Ben races to Shawn’s house, Rachel ‘watching’ the box—if keeping the answer to what lays in the box a secret would have been a more productive angle to play. However, that scene, as Ben talks to Shawn on the phone, is especially well done. Shawn’s anxiety is palpable, and Schell’s acting is high energy and effective.
“Other Side of the Box,” is, however, an effective thriller that is highly digestible. It sets up a premise that is creepy and disturbing, drawing from many modern horror movies in its presentation. The acting is good, and the cinematography (Laura Jensen films it) is excellent. And the ‘box’ is really an advanced effect for a horror indie short.
Phillips and Tag Have Created a Smart Project
I feel like the film does lose something in its showing too much approach, and I wonder what a different presentation—where Ben races home, finding the horrific things that he finds—would have had more effect had we seen nothing up to this point. Pochop’s head sitting there prior took me out of it a little, but it’s a small criticism. Phillips (along with co-Writer Nick Tag) have created a smart project, full of atmosphere, scares, and intrigue. Phillips hasn’t directed anything since this picture (though he does have a host of camera and electrical credits), and I’d be very keen to see anything he produces int he future if this film is any indication of his talents.
*You can watch the film on YouTube in window below.
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