What happens when a young horror fan learns a few tricks from her beloved genre films, and puts them into practice on an unassuming babysitter? That is the premise of the short horror film, Playtime’s Over, which was featured at the 2019 FEARnyc Horror Film Festival. The event started on October 24 and goes until October 31.
Even at a young age, Dee (Evan Reames) has a love for horror films, as many of us did growing up. When her parents leave her alone with a babysitter (Laurie, played by Haley Leary) she isn’t too thrilled about, Dee sets up elaborate horror film-based tricks to torture her all night. This results in fun Easter eggs and nods (Laurie…babysitter…works at S-Mart) as well as clever recreations of classic horror scenes.
Evan Reames is absolutely delightful playing Dee the terror, with the end scene bringing tears of laughter. Haley Leary does well at acting out various notable scream queens, and the duo work great together. The recreated scenes, pulled from films such as Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, are so imaginative and well-done, with the Psycho scene even going to black-and-white to really pull it off.
The director, Tony Reames, is the father of the young star of the film, and together the father/daughter team have “worked on over 25 short films in all different genres.” Judging by Playtime’s Over, it is impossible not to notice how much fun the two must be having behind the camera.
Horror fans are sure to have plenty of fun finding all of the horror nods, and naming all of the films represented. On top of the tributes, Playtime’s Over is an imaginative and whimsical short film that is highly entertaining from start to finish.
To follow updates about when and where you can catch Playtime’s Over, be sure to visit the official website.
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