From writers Zack Ogle and Aaron Pagniano comes the hilarious short horror comedy “We Got a Monkey’s Paw.” A normal Thursday evening goes all to hell when Zack, once again, tries to get his roommate Jakki to dance in the shadows with him. Frustrated with Zack’s consistent pestering to play ghost house, she lights up when he produces a genuine monkey’s paw. The two eagerly engage in the legend of being granted three wishes. Over exuberance leads to horror as the duo quickly invite in the devil’s toys. A melee of malevolence ensues as they try to undo the evil they have unleashed.
Since 1900 the legend of the Monkey’s Paw has been indoctrinated into pop culture, but the team behind this superb short brings a fresh and funny take on the immortal legend. Actors Jacqueline Jandrell and Zack Ogle play off each other with rapid fire comedic dialogue with enjoyable ease and throw in enough horror iconic references that will have the horror nation clapping in glee like a monkey on an organ grinder. Director Aaron Pagniano and cinematographer Carissa Dorson present a perfect piece, visually clean and flawlessly edited. A mirror shot encompassing a ghost is big budget quality. Not only is this short fun and filled with enough action to keep the viewer entertained but Composer Tom Hatfield gives us an iconic catchy tune, “We Got A Monkey’s Paw,”to end the tale.
“We Got a Monkey’s Paw,” suffers from only one major issue, leaving the audience wanting much more! The short will draw references to the iconic “Shaun of the Dead,” however, it plays more like if the comedic romp“Brain Donors” and the forgotten immortal horror comedy classic“Student Bodies” had a love child. There is no surprise why this film has captured many awards as it has beat its gorilla chest thru the festival circuit over the last year. Hopefully, with the films online premiere via Alter on September 18, 2020, enough buzz will deliver a sting setting this short on its way to a fantastic full feature.
Scream Score 8.8/10
