Starring: Kendra North, Rebecca Hausman, and Charlie Dreizen
Directed by: Lonnie Martin
Written by: Lonnie Martin
Running time: 15 minutes
Rated: None (Not suitable for children under 17)
I was given the opportunity to review a short horror film called, Cougars. I originally reviewed this film for last year’s Chicago Fear Fest Film Festival. Short films don’t usually get the credit they deserve. A filmmaker has to do everything that a feature length film has to do, but usually has only 10-15 minutes in which to accomplish this. A short has to grab your attention, it has to have a good story, and good characters, and it has to be done quickly. Writer/director Lonnie Martin seems to have accomplished this with his new short film, Cougars.
Cougars tells the story of Sasha (Rebecca Hausman), a teenage girl trying to deal with her mother’s (Kendra North) aberrant sexual appetite towards much younger men. One day after school, Sasha walks home with a boy in her class, Stuart (Charlie Dreizen). Sasha’s mother invites Stuart in the house and won’t take no for an answer. Sasha soon discovers that she is more like her mother than she ever dared to imagine.
This short film has an interesting premise; a teenage girl struggles to deal with her mom’s inappropriate sexual appetite, 
and her own inner turmoil involving changes both mental and physical as she struggles with her own sexuality. For me, it is very reminiscent of such films as Cat People, Sleepwalkers, and even Ginger Snaps thrown in for good measure.
The acting I found to be a little below average with the exception of Rebecca Hausman playing Sasha, she won’t win any awards, but she was intriguing in the lead.
The film is solidly written and directed by Martin. He was able to create a fun, if not predictable creature flick with a lot of heart. I loved the old school make-up FX techniques used, especially the bladder effects which reminded me a lot of The Howling and The Beast Within.
I have read that director Lonnie Martin intends on making a feature length version of Cougars, I would be interested to see what he could do with this. Overall, I found Cougars to be an enjoyable watch, reminding me of classic horror monsters. I would definitely recommend this.
3 1/2 Pentagrams out of 5!
Watch the entire short film Cougars here,
