Shot in New England, this ten-minute horror short, “Who’s There?” (2024). stars Garland Scott as Phil, Philip Matthew Stewart, widower and stepdad to Brooke (Kallie Tabor). After Brooke comes home late and asks for him to open the door, he looks through the peephole, and no one is there. The best shorts feel finished while leaving its audience wanting more as opposed to trying to fit a feature into a handful of minutes. Cowriters Todd Spence and Zak White, who has a feature cowriter credit for “The Prank” (2022) starring Rita Moreno, combine Native American folklore with familiar sci-fi frights. This story will leave you wanting to know more about this mimic. The pair also create instantly relatable characters who never do anything obviously stupid, so you do not wind up rooting for the mimic. Also, it does not give in to Chekhov’s Gun rule, which is a pleasant surprise.
Massachusetts based director Ryan Doris proves that there are no small locations, only people with small vision. The action is mostly restricted to a few areas in the home, the kitchen, the area surrounding the staircase and the upstairs living room. The only exterior shots show that they are one house in a suburb, but the psychological tension fills every nook and cranny to its unbearable limits. Unlike productions with more resources like “Game of Thrones,” thankfully Doris can shoot at night without losing any visibility though the mimic mostly remains in the shadows. If you cannot see, it is probably the glare of light on your screen, so its best watched in complete darkness, but it is clear. Doris worked with Sam Tung, who worked on the sketches for the mimic. The Armitage Brothers made the practical effects that brought the mimic to life combined with Doris and cinematographer Nick Kolinsky’s stop motion animation. No, it is not CGI, and the mimic manages to remain unique though it will recall the “Alien” Facehugger meets pods from “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) but far more elusive. There is more mystery to uncover here. Please, may we have some more.
In the interest of full disclosure, after recording “Reel Reviews,” which aired on July 4, 2025, I heard about “Who’s There?” from Monica Madeja, NECN/NBC-10 anchor and news reporter. Her husband worked on the movie, and once I heard horror and practical effects, I was sat. Horror is my favorite!
