[Event Review] Popcorn Frights Film Festival: We Got a Dog (2022)
Moving in with a partner, navigating conflicting work schedules, making big decisions together… all of this is overwhelming enough in the happiest of times. But what if you were to add a dog to the mix? A surprise dog which your partner didn’t consult you on? It sounds frustrating, but it becomes scary in Ryan Valdez’s short film We Got a Dog (2022), screened at this year’s Popcorn Frights film festival. Morgan (Morgan Taylor) arrives home after work and her partner Mason (Mason Conrad) gradually reveals that he wanted to surprise her with a dog.
But he’s acting strangely. He’s speaking too slowly, and blowing past Morgan’s concerns. Before Morgan meets the dog, everything feels a little off and unsettling. Mason is insistent that when Morgan meets the dog, they will love each other, and he urges her along.
Most of the film takes place in their shared home. The atmosphere shifts rapidly from “comfortable place to rest after a long work day” to “unsettling noises around every dark corner.” There is a perfectly balanced amount of show-and-tell from the filmmakers as we are shown some of the horror while enough is left to our imaginations.
Warning! Do not check the IMDB page before you watch the film. It’s best to go into it with as little information as possible, and for that reason, I am keeping this review short and sweet. If you’re looking for some efficient bite-sized horror, check out We Got a Dog.
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