Director – James Bell (Nutsack, Manuer)
Starring – James Bell and Mae Bell (Tantrum, Guardia de Male)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 3/5
My horror marathon continues on! After wrapping up a handful or so of releases from Vinegar Syndrome I went through my movies looking for the next movie to review. While looking through what I have out I remembered that I had picked up James Bell’s newest horror short Harm on DVD at the last Cinema Wasteland. James and his wife Mae are two fantastic human beings that I always enjoy talking with but their movies are anything but sweet. James’ movies are hard to describe but if I had to try I would call them experimental splatter flicks. I had waited too long to check this one out and had to finally see it.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a loving wife (Mae) who arrives home only to meet the fist of her abusive husband (James). He is very violent with his wife and needs no excuse to beat her. When he’s not beating her he is raping her. One night she had enough and beats his head in with a hammer before cutting his head off.**Spoiler Alert**
You can always expect a wild ride when you toss in a movie from Very Fine Crap Video. James is a very talented filmmaker and effects artist that accomplishes so much with so little. You can’t give him all the credit though. He has an amazing wife that is always there with him and extremely supportive. The two work so well together and they will accomplish great things as a team. Harm is another great movie they can add to their list of already great films.
The acting in this one is great for the most part but there was a scene that made me giggle a little. James and Mae are a real couple and that chemistry is on screen. They work so well together. Mae is great as the battered wife and James does an outstanding job as the horrible husband. With that being said, I did laugh when James was getting hit with the hammer. His actions are not realistic at all and very unnatural.
The story for this one is simple but works perfectly for the 11 minute film. Its fast paced and full of drama for those that dislike longer films. It makes great use of it’s time and we quickly get to the gruesome death scene that makes the film so enjoyable.
Finally, blood and gore freaks will love this splatter short. There is one death scene but the viewer gets to enjoy every second of it. We get lots of blood and the effects are fucking fantastic. Overall, Harm is short but fucking brutal. Extreme horror fans will really enjoy this gruesome 11 minute horror film. Check it out!
