In a post-apocalyptic world, a grieving man must survive the elements and the large mutated birds that roam the woods in the short film Vultures.
A question that cinema has asked throughout the course of its history is what would the world look like if a devastating event occurred that left only a small number of humans to fend for themselves? We have seen mega-budget movies like I Am Legend, to smaller independent features like The Road. Video games like The Last of Us have also posed the question, as have comic books like The Walking Dead. It is a subject that we as a species find fascinating. How would we survive?
Now, Jacob Thompson, an up-and-coming writer/director, has made an addition to the genre with his short film Vultures.
The short starts with a lonely hunter (Kai Hohman) walking to an isolated cabin in the woods. After starting a generator, which in turn powers up some lights that surround the wood home, he then visits the graves of, what we can only assume, are the resting places of his family. He then goes inside for a night of sleep but is awoken in the middle of the night by the sounds of movement coming from outside his walls. We then get a quick glimpse of something non-human looking through the windows.
The next day, after hearing the voice of a woman on his radio, the hunter walks the woods looking for other survivors, when he comes across a man and a woman arguing. The woman is attacked with a knife, and the man turns around to see the hunter creeping closer. They both shot at each other and are knocked unconscious. When he wakes, he manages to grab the injured woman and take her to a hiding spot, just in time, as the giant bird-like creatures are closing in.
Vultures is a very well-made short film. While it is obvious that there wasn’t a great deal of money made available (which is often the case with short films), Thompson does remarkably well in setting the scene, and creating tension throughout the fifteen-minute runtime. The film feels like it is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The cabin is a fantastic find for the location, and it was a smart choice to film in the woods away from the general public. Unless you are Danny Boyle and have the ability to shut down London streets in the early hours of the morning as he did with 28 Days Later, filmmakers have to be smart with their choices, and what is more desolate than woodland? As stated, there is tension in Vultures, and it is crafted well, especially towards the end when a Vulture creature is stalking through the cabin, looking for its prey, while the hunter is trying his damnedest to try and turn the generator on.
The cinematography of Vultures is, for the most part, great. There are some really nice shots, mixed with some average ones, but what really makes Vultures stand out is the sound design. The film has some excellent Foley effects laden across a great score. The sound of the creatures really impressed me. Imagine a louder and more guttural velociraptor sound, and you’re getting closer to what you hear.
Vultures, whilst not perfect, is a rather impressive fifteen minutes of tension done on a minuscule budget. One can only imagine a feature with a full crew, more special effects, and more stories. I’d buy a ticket.
Leave a Reply