I was sent an online screener of The Muck. It was an official 2014 SXSW premiere, so it made me feel super official watching it. Here are my thoughts on this short film.
The Muck is written and directed by Tony Wash, who previously created 2007’s It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want to. The only cast member within this short film is Callie Stephens. She plays the character of Laverne who, “comes home after a strenuous workout and decides to take a relaxing bath. She strips down, settles into the tub, and closes her eyes. Serenity at last – or so she thought. The Muck will leave you never wanting to take a bath again.”
The Muck is very much set in the 80s era and is lent inspiration from two horror masterpieces of that time, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and The Raft segment of Creepshow II (1987). You’ll have to see for yourself how that pairing makes any sense, but it made my brain tingle with the nostalgia that I missed out on by being a late 80s baby. From the cars, to the clothes, to the technology, The Muck was a cohesive time capsule of horror filmmaking elements from the golden age of horror; where the director lures the viewer in with suspense, subtle plot hints, and a beautiful woman, and brings it all home with a full blown monstrous ending. It’s a completely different style of filmmaking then what’s used currently, but it’s one that I think a lot of people still keep an eye out for.
Normally, I criticize short films for being too long and drawing out whatever plot there is or for being too short and not giving the audience enough plot. Luckily, The Muck is right in the middle of that and isn’t too long or too boring; however, you will be left wanting more. And this is where I think things get interesting. In the future Tony Wash, if he’s ever interested enough, has the opportunity to turn The Muck into a feature length film. Horror audiences haven’t seen a movie like The Blog in over a decade and I think fans of creature features would really gravitate to, again, a nostalgic element back on the screen. The Muck would be the perfect centerpiece to show investors and producers. The groundwork is already there, and The Muck shows such incredible production quality that they’d be dumb to pass it up.
I can’t criticize The Muck on any aspect, except maybe for the hand puppet monster at the end a la David Decoteau’s Leeches. Those could go. The film harkened back to one of the better times of horror cinema, lead by an incredible director who really understands his product and what he hopes to accomplish with it. Callie Stephens was the perfect “sex bomb” who could truly rival some of the scream queens of the 80s if she was ever to continue down this career path. The Muck was simple, but effective. I’m going to rate it an 8.5 out of 10.
