Pure Cinema: Sharing My Letterboxd Likes Day 58

(My full Letterboxd review.)

While not a found footage, this short has several things in common with THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Doing a lot with a little, relying on the viewer's imagination to fill out the scares, and utilizing unique sound design. I believe they also share the distinction of being deeply divisive watches, alienating to many and ingenious to others.

Explaining the plot of this story won't help. It may not even be possible to do so in a satisfactory manner. One person may watch "The Black Tower" and find it to be horrific, while their friend will simply find it horrifically dull. This reviewer found it to be a low-fi masterpiece, ratcheting up the creep factor with laughably simple tricks. Making the protagonist an unseen narrator, the previously mentioned sound design, the static shots, the mix of the mundane and the increasing approach of... something.

This short is a subtle and effective tale of dread, something that can be watched inside of half an hour, and it's free on YouTube. Everyone should see this film, especially those of us who appreciate the slow burn and the hidden dangers.