Back in February, I covered writer/director Nathan Duce’s horror debut, Peephole. It was a decently produced horror short, but it definitely left me wanting more from the UK native. Four months later, Nathan’s returned with another short film titled USB and that’s why I love independent film-makers. They never sleep because they have the drive and passion to get their product out to viewers and they’re thirsty for constructive criticism. No rest for the wicked, right? Fortunately, USB was a better experience than Peephole, but I do have a few comments to make in hopes of bettering Nathan’s future works.
Maybe it’s not as a big a deal in the UK as it is in America, but phishing is a common way that scammers hack their way into your computer. Basically, they leave a thumb-drive or burned CD out in the open and label it with important tags like “payroll,” “tax returns,” or “passwords.” The goal is for someone to see it, take it home, and plug it into their computer while being completely oblivious to the fact that the object is riddled with viruses that’ll steal your personal information. That’s why red flags went off in my mind as soon as the man in this short film (played by Bruce Baillie) gets a mysterious thumb-drive pushed through his mail-slot and immediately puts it in his computer.
From there, USB turns into The Ring meets Hostel with a time traveling twist. A torturous serial killer is on the loose and somehow he’s able to send the murders to his victims before he carries them out. Unfortunately for the man with the thumb-drive, he’s forced to sit in horror and watch his own death on the computer right before it happens. This is, genuinely, a great concept that capitalizes on technology, torture porn, and mystery, and I’d love to see the idea expanded in a longer project. It starts off so simple, but grows into something much bigger.
USB is an independent production, but the lighting and special effects are its strongest departments. The camera work and scoring are close seconds. The audio is great, too, but it was “fishbowl” at certain points; “fishbowl” being the term I use to specify audio that sounds like it was recorded in a small, circular area. Not terrible, but has room for improvement. Now, I generally don’t like singling anyone out, but I do have to say that Bruce Baillie wasn’t the man for this job. He’s got great hair and can convey emotion through his eyes like a pro, but his bodily reactions and spoken dialogue were always a few steps under the intensity that they needed to be. This could have been much better with a different actor.
I love the promo art. I love Duce’s studio logo. I love the concept of USB and I love Duce’s drive to get better. And what’s wonderful about USB is that it shows he is getting better. Well done, Nathan. Final Score: 6.5 out of 10.
