Deadly is a 2018 Irish Short Film produced by No WiFi, written and directed by Sefora Castro.
A Halloween party is in full swing in a small Irish town. But one boy Jack (Thomas Quill) isn't having much fun. That is until he meets a curious girl Lucille (Kayleigh McDowell). She's funny, she's charmingly odd and strangely doesn't seem to have a knowledge of modern technology...
The film can be seen here
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Tropes:
- Author Appeal: The film's visual style is based on the works of Tim Burton - of whom Sefora Castro is a fan. See Shout-Out below.
- Boy Meets Ghoul: He does indeed.
- The Bully: Jack and Lucille are threatened by a gang of bullies.
- Cool Teacher: Jack's science teacher congratulates him on doing well.
- Cute Monster Girl: Lucille is a little odd-looking but still very attractive.
- Dead All Along: Lucille is a ghost.
- Derelict Graveyard: The climax takes place in one.
- Double-Meaning Title: 'Deadly' is an Irish slang term also meaning 'cool' or 'fun'. It also refers to danger.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Inverted. Jack is pale with dark hair and is the normal one of the film.
- For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: It's implied anyway. Jack compliments Lucille on her make-up.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Lucille claims Mr Porter taught her mother Helena. In the newspaper article at the end, you can see a mention of a sister called Helena.
- Game Face: We don't see exactly what Lucille shows the bullies, but they all look terrified.
- Halloween Episode: Intended as such for the No WiFi catalogue, and their first film to be set on Halloween (aside from a brief Halloween party in High and Tight). It premiered on YouTube on Halloween 2019 along with An Dearg Doom and Scrios - out of the three, it was the only one to be actually set on Halloween.
- Mayfly–December Romance: Jack went on a date with a ghost.
- Not Like Other Girls: Gender flipped. Jack prefers "coffee and croissants" as opposed to "beer and chips", likes science and prefers hanging with friends to loud parties.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Lucille is corporeal and seemingly only able to come out on Halloween. She also can apparently remove parts of her flesh to scare people.
- Shout-Out:
- A boy called Jack, wearing a skeleton costume.
- Lucille is dressed rather like the Corpse Bride.
- Shrinking Violet: Jack doesn't seem to enjoy parties or socialising.
- Title Drop: The last line of the film is Jack saying his night was "deadly".
- Uptight Loves Wild: Downplayed. Jack is quite withdrawn, while Lucille is more open.
- Wham Shot: Lucille has Jack take her home. Said home is a cemetery.
