“Night of the Slasher” – Horror In One Take

Have you ever watched a “slasher” horror film, only to shake your head because a character on the screen is engaging in one of the “deadly sins” that always precedes that person’s death? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if those tables could be turned?

Shant Hamassian’s Night of the Slasher addresses that very point, where a teenage girl deliberately engages in those deadly sins, all in the hope of luring a slasher to her home so that she may dish out some well-deserved revenge.

Horror films prey on the irrational part of the human psyche. Unlike dramatic or sci-fi film shorts where logic and reason usually have some level of presence, horror shorts will many times present themselves as a nightmare, where the only elements there are fear and terror. There isn’t necessarily any logic or reason to what we are seeing. We only know that something horrifying is going on while the film takes us, the viewer, along for its ride, and that is what Night of the Slasher does. It’s not meant to completely make sense at first. All we know is that for most of the film there is something truly scary going on, and ultimately that is all that truly matters.

What helps to add to the almost unbearable tension this film creates is that it was filmed in one, unbroken segment. This film was shot entirely in one take. For a first time view it only raises the fear as we see “the Killer” relentlessly pursue his victim. Having it shot in one take does not permit for the viewer to catch his or her breath, and while some other “multiple-take” films can edit their scenes together in an attempt to simulate this effect, the result isn’t necessarily one that is capable of truly pulling the viewer in. By making it one take the story truly is told in real time, and through very rapid turns and angle changes made by the camera, the terror ends up building layer upon layer on itself.

For a second or third time viewing this film can only be marveled at its achievement in creating something so enormously complex, that even when approaching this from a technical point of view the emotional content of this short will still seep through.

Director and writer Shant Hamassian is using this short as a “proof of concept” film in the hopes that it might be developed into a feature length film. It is not currently known if he intends to stick with the “shot in one take” approach to the feature film, but having it produced might benefit the story as the viewer is kept in the dark as to why all of this is happening. While knowing the motives behind the teenage girl’s actions might have helped to have a better understanding of the film, not knowing did not take away from the real intent here, and that was to scare you.

If you’re a fan of John Carpenter’s Halloween, then you’ll be able to enjoy Night of the Slasher.

Night of the Slasher has won numerous awards on the film festival circuit and will be presented at South By Southwest in Austin TX, which takes place March 11 – 19, 2016. Press relations for the film, cast and crew are being handled by ChicArt Public Relations, and you can follow the daily updates on social media.

On twitter: @tonightiskiller

On Facebook: facebook.com/nightoftheslasher

You can view the trailer for the short below:

Night of the Slasher – Official Trailer from Shant Hamassian on Vimeo.
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