Horror Short Review: In the Dark (2023)

Directed by Spencer Keller, In the Dark is a horror short that starts off in shocking fashion, creating intrigue and a deep desire to understand what took place.

It begins at the scene of a murder, where a man has killed a woman with a crowbar, before hanging himself. It’s a dark scene, but in an instant, the tone changes.

It’s now bright, sunny, and a very much alive woman is eyeing up an antique chair. After some back and forth with someone on the phone, she decides to buy it and brings it home. This simple event is the start of the end. This is no ordinary chair.

It takes a very talented director to make a horror short about a possessed chair feel so serious. The entire premise is so silly, but Spencer Kelly and the cast do a really good job of making it so much more harrowing. It helps that it’s not a haunted chair story, rather a story about something demonic coming home with said chair.

It also helps that there’s a strong cinematic approach to the short, from both a visual and audio perspective. It’s a very professional looking short and when coupled with a solid story that is well paced, as well as some unnerving moments and potent jump scares, it becomes a short well worth checking out.