Prey to Me is a short film by a father and son filmmaking team that’s an inventive take on the typical home invasion horror movie. Instead of the usual human invader, we have an otherworldly entity that stalks and snatches a young woman, played by Shannon Walton. Though the movie does leave a bit to be desired, and could have used another few minutes, it’s still a creative take on a traditional narrative.
Directed and written by Chad Allen Barton and shot by his 15-year-old son, cinematographer Mason Fox Barton, the film generally looks good and professional, and that’s a credit to the young cinematographer, who certainly has talent. Additionally, the short wastes no time getting down to business. Less than a minute or so into the runtime, the creature terrorizes Walton’s unnamed character. Initially, the creature appears as a cloaked and masked figure, with Freddy Kreuger-like claws. What works well is the fact the creature first lurks in the shadows, and we never fully see it. There are a few shots of its deadly-looking claw, or its masked face, but this leaves more to the imagination. Still, the monster remains terrifying and eventually snatches the woman, taking her to the basement. The setting at this point resembles Freddy’s boiler room, and the creature design and that particular set will likely remind some viewers of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
However, the short veers into Lovecraft territory by its second half, and the turn works. The creature demands the woman kneel and prey to it. There are some cool special effects and shots that zoom in on the monster’s claws, which seem to lengthen and wiggle like tentacles. This is another surprising and welcome turn that keeps the movie from becoming a cheesy slasher or home invasion knock-off. Additionally, Walton sells the role as a distressed woman trying to flee her otherworldly captor. I would have liked her to fight back a bit more, but maybe she’ll get the chance if this ever becomes a feature-length movie.
Prey to Me is an entertaining and suspenseful six minutes from a father and son filmmaking duo. The short’s influences are clear, but even so, the film does subvert expectations and shifts into some surprising territory.
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Brian Fanelli has been writing for HorrorBuzz since 2021. He fell in love with horror after watching the Universal Monster movies as a kid. His writing on film has also appeared in Signal Horizon Magazine, Bright Lights Film Journal, Horror Homeroom, Schuylkill Valley Journal, 1428 Elm, and elsewhere. Brian is an Associate Professor of English at Lackawanna College, where he teaches creative writing and literature, as well as a class on the horror genre.
