What’s
a shy twenty-something with mother issues doing in a horror film? Perhaps Mona
isn’t such a trailblazer in that respect, but her macabre tale will be told in
a showcase emphasizing diversity—and brevity. Think of it as a haiku of terror.
Fans of short form horror can look forward to the launch of Vera Miao’s Two Sentence Horror Stories on the
digital platform Stage 13, following the premiere of the first episode, Ma, at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Judging
from Ma, each episode starts with a cryptic
opening sentence and ends with a kicker closing statement. The first episode
itself is about twenty minutes long, which really isn’t much shorter than a
classic Twilight Zone episode. Ma is a promising way to start. Directed
by executive producer Miao, it emphasizes character and atmosphere over shock
and jump scares.
Poor
mousy Mona has lived with her domineering mother so long, she has abandoned all
hope of an independent life, until Erica moves into the building. Even though
they are complete opposites, their mutual attraction is undeniable (despite a
slightly rocky introduction). However, this is a horror film, so Ma is not
likely to give up her hold over Mona without a struggle.
Wei-Yi
Lin is just terrific as Mona. Even at her squirreliest, she makes us feel for
the under-socialized woman. It is also nice to see Mardy Ma (who made her second
career-acting debut in SundanceTV’s One Child) quite chillingly portray her not really-namesake. Ayesha Harris also
develops some compelling chemistry with Lin, while providing a grounded
connection to the outside real world.
Horror
fans may already have a pretty solid notion of what is going on here, but Miao’s
moody execution is still impressive. Frankly, she leaves us wanting to see more
installments from her (even though we are intrigued to see what Sleight’s JD Dillard brings to the table
in future sentences). Miao wrote and produced the just-okay Best Friends Forever, but 2 Sentence Horror could really make her
a genre favorite. It will reside digitally at Stage 13, which also had the best
television/online premiere at Sundance with Snatchers.
