Heck is a short film directed by Kyle Edward Ball, released onto YouTube on July 9, 2020. The film serves as a proof-of-concept for his later-released debut feature film, Skinamarink.
An unnamed boy wakes up to the sound of his mom's television blaring, and soon finds that he can't go outside of the house. He tries to go through his young life at home, frequently calling out to his mom, but soon, something seems amiss…
View the whole film here
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This show provides examples of:
- Downer Ending: The boy and his mouthless mom remain stuck in the house. The boy even ends the film by calling it hell.
- Leave the Camera Running: Several scenes are still shots of the boy's toys on the carpet.
- Nameless Narrative: The boy and his mom aren't given a name. Even the credits list their actors' roles as "Boy" and "Mom".
- Nothing Is Scarier: During a scene near the end, the viewer sees… a mysterious face with bright white eyes staring at them from the stairs. It doesn't move or anything, it just simply stares forward…
- P.O.V. Cam: Several scenes are from the boy's P.O.V., exploring the house.
- Time Skip: In the form of "sleeps".1 sleep later…
- Wham Line:
- 56 sleeps later, the boy apologizes for his condition.
Boy: I'm sorry I got cancer.- At the end of the short, the boy realizes something about the place he's in.
Boy: I think we're in hell. - Wham Shot: The boy finally finds his mom, only to find the reason she hasn't been responding to his calls: she doesn't have a mouth.
- Wipe That Smile Off Your Face: The mom never responded to the boy because her mouth has been removed.
