The nasty little short film A Mother’s Love is a fiendish confection fit for any lover of horror. Clocking in at a very short, almost too short, 4 minutes plus, we get an idea of the fresh hell that writer-director Jake Stark hopes to unleash upon moviegoers in future work with a quick movie that manipulates sympathy and perception to deliver a bitter pill.

A father (Corey Landis) and a daughter come home from the grocery store, paper bag in hand, and begin putting groceries away. The daughter (Kinley Stark) begins helping and nabs a treat. Then mom (Kristin Feinfield) rolls in. Something isn’t right. Mom is clearly disoriented. She doesn’t recognize her family. The young daughter is afraid. Father snaps into action as if this has happened too many times before. Then comes the kicker.

A Mother’s Love is a fun little short film that is a nicely crafted, well-performed horror piece. Stark’s direction and tone set us up nicely for the unsettling payoff that only makes us wait moments to savor. Scot Siracusano’s rich camerawork gives this pic a far deeper look than it needs to have. This, along with the solid performances all around and the polished look indicate that, hopefully, there is more story to share.

In short, we want more. Stark and his team know how to deliver a short that undercuts expectations, utilizes misdirection, and sets the audience up for a sickening little payoff. Essentially, the lesson to be learned, if you are the type, is don’t trust kids, and stay away from nice-looking dads. If the short film A Mother’s Love teaches us anything it is that. But don’t forget to seek this one out if it pops up at other festivals.

7 out of 10