Hilarity ensues when roommates Jakki (Jacqueline Jandrell) and Zack (Zack Ogle) discover a monkey’s paw and begin playing around with it for kicks. In a brisk 8 minutes, the new short WE GOT A MONKEY’S PAW we get to see everything this comedic situation has to offer along with a litany of horror references. The result is a lol-inducing diversion even if the short fizzles near the end.

We open on Jakki, who after an eternity of dealing with her best friend Zack’s supernatural habits, has had enough and plans to move out. Thursday night comes and Zack demands another one of their weekly adventures, suggesting everything from a haunted mirror to a stolen Ouija board. Nothing gets Jakki interested until Zack proposes using a monkey’s paw.

The gimmick is simple. They have one wish for each finger on the paw. However, each wish has dark components or a bad outcome. Faster than you can say “I wish” there are dead moms clawing to get into the apartment and alternate versions of Jakki and Zack dead on the dining room floor. With the chaos doubling up with every complication the shirt achieves a rapid-fire pace that ultimately hurts it, giving itself nowhere else to go but crazier and crazier.

Make no mistake. WE GOT A MONKEY’S PAW is a madcap love letter to horror lovers everywhere that leaves you smiling.  Director Aaron Pagniano keeps things fast and lean, immediately establishing the rapport between the roomies. Ogle who also stars and co-writes the short with Pagiano, cuts the pieces together using wonderfully glib timing and humor. That is of course not to mention that both stars have a palpable chemistry that immediately has us on board, waiting to see what these two friends get into.

If I had one last wish I would want to see more of WE GOT A MONKEY’S PAW. I want to see the pacing given room to breathe and ramp-up. I want to see Pagiano have more moments stylize the horror and comic violence that these two get into. What’s here is a wickedly funny proof of concept that just smacks of a bigger story hoping to be told.

7 out of 10