Reviewed 1/18/05
If Chucky can slash and joke his way into movie history, why not a seemingly innocent Garden Gnome? Chaos! Comics founder Brian Pulido has created a suspense/thriller/slasher short of 16 minutes entitled There’s Something Out There which answers that question. This is a professionally shot, edited, and to a lesser extent acted and written picture that takes itself almost too seriously, and the result is impressive, if a bit baffling.
Young couple Brad and Penny (Scott Jordan and Patty
Tindall)
are working their townhouse garden when Brad puts into the middle of it a
smiling garden gnome to watch over it. Though Penny initially objects, when
Brad insists, she acquiesces. While sleeping later that evening, Penny wakes
Brad after hearing a series of scratching sounds. Brad goes downstairs and
initially finds next-door neighbor Arthur (Phil Blackmon) in their adjoining
back yard, but the sounds persist even later in the evening. Brian’s
return to the garden leads to a showdown between man and evil-infused plaster
that results in some excellent makeup effects (Randy Arbogast) and not much
surprise.
This is a film that follows the conventions of the slasher pic almost to an absurd degree. In fact, I wasn’t sure through the first two viewings if this was an earnest and professional production of a slight subject or a tongue-in-cheek offering. I can only assume after reading the press that Pulido was completely serious in expending a lot of time, energy, and effort on such a by-the-numbers script. There are no surprises whatsoever as all of the conventions are rigorously resurrected; the nervous woman, the oblivious man, the perfectly timed entrances of the next-door neighbor, and the seemingly innocent object infused with unexplained murderous powers. There is a very nice moment in the kitchen before the bloodbath cleverly invoking the name of one of the innovators of the slasher genre, but other than this moment, humor is in short supply.
Despite the very disappointing subject and script, the visual and production qualities of this short are top notch. Pulido, D.P. Adam Goldfine, and Editor Doug Howard have put together a very professional offering. The shots are well setup and the editing is crisp. All the necessary moments are included, from the red herring surprise moment to the murderer’s-eye view of the carnage. Shots are well-framed and each setup pays off perfectly. Jim Casella’s music is very heavy handed and follows the prototype of slasher/suspense films to a tee, but that fits the overall thematic thread of the production. This is one of the most professionally crafted shorts I’ve seen.
