The Shutterbug Man – 2014
Horror films, at their core, should always seek to find that place in our subconscious that we recall from our youth; that primal, unjaded place in the fertile imagination that only a child can have. Few things are more frightening than that faint noise in the darkness heard from beneath the covers; this comes, of course, after mom and dad have retired for the evening, leaving us defenseless in the dark with whatever may be lurking about. If you grew up like I did, with parents who loved horror movies, you may have taken with you to this darkness a flickering image you caught on the screen when you weren’t supposed to come into the den; you were “too young”, after all. In my case, that meant I went out of my way to find an excuse for a glimpse of the terrors on the tube, heedless of the sleeplessness and night terrors that would almost certainly result.
It’s not often that I come across a film that captures this in me, but with his short film The Shutterbug Man, writer/director Chris Walsh has done just that.
In the few minutes Walsh has us in his world, we are introduced to the sinister and stooped Shutterbug Man; a twisted and sadistic individual whose only joy is taking photographs of suffering and wickedness. We learn that his obsession to find the darkest of images results in his finding something blacker than the coldest midnight, and for a horrible price, he is granted an unspeakable ability. This savage “gift” both satisfies the vile heart of the Shutterbug Man and sets the stage for a new “boogeyman” as loathsome and fearful as any ever written about.
This film, done solely in stop-motion animation, caught me completely off-guard; some may find the style reminiscent of some Tim Burton films, most notably The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Corpse Bride, but as the dark subject matter becomes apparent, any similarities to these or any other works will be quickly forgotten.
The movements are smooth and deliberate, never looking jerky or hastily done. Walsh’s methodology serves to combine with the monochrome color palette and the chilling music to create a fragment of childhood terror that was somehow trapped and never outgrown. The distinctive voice of horror legend Barbara Steele narrating the tale only compounds this fear, the sincere matter-of-fact delivery of her lines sounding simultaneously like a scary bedtime story…and wary warning.
I found this slice of the macabre to be both chilling and refreshing; the visuals were as beautiful as they were baleful, and the story was original and downright spooky. The balance of the imagery created by the stark, almost washed-out cinematography and meticulous animation couples with the darkness of the tale itself to create a oppressive, horrific world all it’s own. This kind of surreal, nightmarish vision reminds me of the German expressionistic horrors of the twenties, with films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu of course springing to mind, with their odd angles, foreboding shadows, and strobing film style bringing the netherworld of terror firmly into the visual spectrum.
As I always extoll, it won’t be for everyone; if you’re a hardcore gorehound or like your horror with more bite than bark, it will probably leave you wanting. However, if you can appreciate a film with an unorthodox artistry and become absorbed in a tale of shadow and malevolence…if you’ve not lost that little corner of childhood imagination that keeps you pondering the possibility that the slight shuffling in the darkness just might be something more than the “house settling”…well then, I’d recommend heading over to Walsh’s website; there you can get more info on the film, check out some stills and artwork, and even find festival info and background on Walsh himself. You may even get your own digital copy of this imaginative little chiller and lend your support.
I wouldn’t blame ya if ya did.
–Mouse
Andrew Thompson
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