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A young woman is happily jumping on a bounce house, but the state of the inflatable structure and its surroundings immediately establish a scary post-apocalyptic world. The bounce house is smeared with dried blood stains, leaving you unsure whether the seemingly cheerful protagonist is a psycho or a survivor who just doesn’t care about anything anymore.
Created by Callie Bloem and Christopher J. Ewing, the short horror film Bounce House stars Eilise Patton as Polly, a young woman living in the backyard of her house, having as much fun as one possibly can when the world around them has collapsed. She’s reminiscent of Akira from the Japanese zombie horror-comedy Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, who decides to enjoy all the things he couldn’t do before the zombie apocalypse. In fact, this film leans more towards a casual dystopian horror-comedy than your typical supernatural scream-fest.
At about 15 minutes long, Bounce House follows Polly, initially alone, until she meets Thea (Jade Kaiser), an armed stranger with a risky proposal. How long can Polly survive the end of the world, and can she really trust Thea, a bossy and imposing figure with her own issues?
Eilise Patton’s portrayal of Polly feels slightly dubious at first, especially with her bouncing on a blood-stained bounce house in the opening scene. However, she soon emerges as a likable survivor who chooses to spend her last days chilling—bouncing, drinking, reading, and blasting music (not the wisest choice when you don’t know what might be lurking in the neighborhood, even if you think everyone is dead).
This is a fun, quick short film with murderous coyotes, an intriguing end-of-the-world theme, and a laid-back protagonist. The climax delivers some spooky moments and an unexpected twist that fits well with the horror-comedy tone of Bounce House.
You can watch it on YouTube.
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