The Way of the Buffalo (Review)

Director – Shawn Burkett (Bludgeon)
Starring – Liz Wazenegger, Scott Gillespie, and Erin R. Ryan (Easter Casket)
Release Date – 2013
Rating – 4/5

I absolutely love short films.  These shorts, when done properly, can do in a matter of minutes what most films take hours to display.  Most features are filled with pointless scenes and even more pointless dialogue that has nothing to do with the story.  Shorts, on the other hand, get straight to the point and hit you with only the necessities.

Therefore, I was very surprised and slightly excited when Shawn Burkett sent me a link to watch his new film The Way of the Buffalo, which is as most of you have guess by now, a short.  Burkett’s films have been very entertaining overall but they due struggle with keeping pace and are filled with filler scenes and dialogue which is something you never find in a short.

**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a stalker who is obsessed with serial killers from the 60s and 70s as he stalks a young lady.  He often reminisces of a time when serial killers were almost glorified by the media and is sickened with the fact that you never hear anything about them in the news.

He sets out to rape and kill the young girl he has been following even though he has a bad heart.  One evening he waits on her to arrive home and sneaks in her home while she is in the shower.  When she gets out of the shower he attacks and rapes her killing her in the act.  When he nuts he suffers a heart attack and dies himself.**Spoiler Alert**

I personally find the topic of rape to be unnerving and one of the many real life horrors that many people suffer through on a daily basis.  I do not personally know anyone who has been raped but I could only imagine what it is like.  Anyway, I had no idea what to expect when I started watching this but right from the start Burkett creates the perfect atmosphere for a found footage film.  I typically do not like found footage films because they all lack that certain atmosphere that makes a normal horror film so enjoyable.  So it was nice to see Burkett do something so many others tried to do.

The acting is very well done even though the cast is very limited.  The actor portraying the serial killer does a great job in his role.  He plays a very convincing deranged killer and is very natural in front of the camera.  He should be cast in more films and it will be a crime if he is not.  The story is nothing special but works very well with the short and plays very well with the twist at the end.  If the film was any long the story would have turned boring so kudos to Burkett for keeping this one short.

Finally, we are not treated to special effects or amazing kills.  Instead, we get great atmosphere and a truly deranged serial killer.  The killer’s self shot confession is truly the highlight of this film and makes this short worth watching.  Overall, this is a truly dark shocker that will leave you unnerved.  I highly recommended it.