“Join top ten, soon to be top five vlogger, Chad Ryan, as he live-streams his visit to the William Burrows murder cabin on the fifteenth anniversary of Willie B’s mini-massacre. Chad’s aiming to finally break a million views so spread the word. It’ll be dope… Komodope!”

#chadgetstheaxe is about a vlogger who decides to spend the night in a creepy cabin while live-streaming it. Of course, since this is a horror film, bad things happen. Due to the short run time, it’s hard to go into details without spoiling anything. But I will say that more thought and effort was into this project then some major releases. The sound design, camera work, and acting were top-notch.

Though with this being a short film at a brisk 13 minutes, it doesn’t give a lot of room for character growth or background so it helps that the vlogger in question has a lot of similarities with a real-life YouTuber who came under fire for insensitive actions towards suicide in a certain forest. How you feel about that person will no doubt roll over to feelings towards Chad (Spencer Harrison Levin) as well as how you feel about his not too shocking fate (it’s in the title after all).

It’s rare for horror films to have something relevant and current to say while maintaining the scares, but that is exactly what this film does. Being framed as a live stream while comments are scrolling along the side adds a touch of realism to everything as the commenters are questioning and talking about what is happening in real-time. This also adds to the general unease, as you see the mob mentality change over the course of the movie. It does a great job conveying how “doing it for the views” can blind someone to common sense.

When all is said and done, this is a well-made short film that doesn’t overstay its welcome while still managing to scare you. If you’re looking for a quick startle or even an example on how to make an effective horror movie, you can’t go wrong with #chadgetstheaxe.

#chadgetstheaxe
RATING: N/A
Chad Gets the Axe | Horror Live-Stream Short Film
Runtime: 13 Mins.
Directed By:
Travis Bible
Written By:
Travis Bible

About the Author

Nate Stephenson is a northern California native. His love horror and being scared runs deep. Gaming with his pups is where you'll find him on his downtime.