“No Pets Allowed” is definitely a punkish B horror short. I mean that in the good way. The props, SFX, sets, the camera never once panned away from any violence going on. We saw every second of brutality and mental tick the main character Rebecca (Samantha Mack) went through.
Director, Writer and Producer Nadine L’Esperance, shows us the after effects of a trauma victim. As a child, Rebecca’s father had extremely cruel ways on handling pets she would bring home. Her love for animals never goes away, but her view on what a pet is becomes warped as she becomes an adult. She takes a revenge on abusive men in her life in a unpredictable way.
This film takes the feeling of an innocent child just wanting a pet, and not just stabbing it but gutting it upside down in a simplistic grotesque approach. Nadine built a story around the resources she had. The young Rebecca is played by her daughter, she knew she wanted Samantha. She also had access to Paul Tryl the lead singer of a punk band. It was a perfect blend right out of hell.
Stuck in the body of a woman with the mind of a twisted child she uses her sexuality to her advantage. Rebecca lures in her prey for a few experiments. Her voice and smile invite, but her eyes have horrible plans. The over acting suits the style very much. Everything is over the top.
Her transformation from young to older is very smooth. Nyka L’Esperance expressions will make the hair on the back of your neck prick you. Chills will happen, she believes everything she is doing and shows no hesitation for her actions. By that point we know that the monster growing within has now been unleashed.
The only thing that is distracting in a negative way is probably the poor sound mixing. With this style of filmmaking you cant really tell if it was an artistic choice or a mistake which can work in there favor. Mixing grind house with a bit of exploitation made this a short, that I have no doubt will have it’s own cult following.
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