Dir. Bryan Enk (2024)
A necromancer's daughter faces off with the demon he kept in the basement.
I'm a big fan of short film, and I love the way that directors are able to capture a feature feel in such a small timeframe. Director Bryan Enk brings a new story about guilt and consequence with Pentagram Girl, a taut indie horror short with some better-than-average performances and an eye for story progression that a lot of feature directors could learn from. It's got a little something for everyone, and it works really well in accomplishing what Enk was trying to do.
Jenna (Lisa Anne Sclar) has finally agreed to an interview on the anniversary of her father's death, speaking to a skeptical journalist named Jordan (Arielle Hope) who is prying into the mysterious circumstances of her father's legacy. He fancied himself a necromancer, and the basement of his house contained the "trophies" of a life spent playing with death and resurrection. But are the rumors true? What exactly was Jenna's father keeping in the basement, and, more importantly, how dangerous will it be to the inquisitive journalist?
Enk, who co-wrote the short along with David Robson, does a great job of creating a chilling and disturbing film with a small budget and a smaller cast. The performances from the cast are excellent, a better-than-average slate of actors who manage to elevate the limited resources of the filmmaker. The editing of the film, delivered by cinematographer Chris Smith, is outstanding, working perfectly to carry the psychological horror necessary to make Pentagram Girl more than your average indie short. Enk tells a story that you've seen before, but he does it surprisingly well on such a small scale.
There is one particular scene with some CGI gore that might have been better left to the imagination, as it takes the audience out of the creepy atmosphere created with the rest of the short. This is hardly a dealbreaker, as the rest of the short is a macabre exploration of deals with the devil and familial sin. I want to know more about what happens here, and there's not a whole lot more that you can ask from a short. Thankfully, Enk teases a follow-up, and I certainly hope we get the chance to see what becomes of Jenna and the surprise guest at the end.
Pentagram Girl is a Lynchian tale of possession and an attempt to deal with the sins of the father. It's not particularly ground-breaking, but it doesn't really need to be. Sclar and Hope have great chemistry together, Enk's vision is carried to fruition by some excellent cinematography, and there are enough scares in a tight timeframe to really make the film work. If you're a fan of indie horror, you should definitely check this one out. At only eighteen minutes, you can't afford not to.
Who this movie is for: Short horror movie fans, Possession film appreciators, Bad daughters
Bottom line: Pentagram Girl is creepy, well-acted, and fits perfectly into its eighteen minute runtime. It's a well-made short film that is deliciously indie, while managing to be a little more polished than a lot of its counterparts. There are a couple of things I would have liked to see done differently, but they don't take away from the overall impact of the film. Director Bryan Enk does a good job with this one, and it's back in the indie festival circuit if you're able to check it out somewhere near you.
