Chattanooga Film Festival 2023- Writer/director Chris Davies‘ short Anya has all kinds of retro Halloween goodness. Set in 1970, it begins with a Radio DJ voiceover (John Anastasio) that sets the perfect tone. It feels like a campfire story you’d hear on October 31, crackling through an old radio. From there, the short transforms into an intriguing revenge tale.

The film stars Tava Hill as Anya. Almost immediately after we see her, we learn that she has a man bound in the trunk of her car. Eventually, it’s revealed that his name is Todd (Steven Van Tiflin), and he’s a dude that did some pretty bad things to another woman (Mary Beth Gray). Yet, these details don’t come all at once. For a short that’s just under six minutes long, Davies does a near perfect job with the pacing here, first introducing Anya, then her captive, and then all of the reasons why, which I won’t spoil here, Todd is such an awful, awful fellow. My only gripe is that the woman’s story is non-existent, to the point she’s nameless.

Largely set in the woods, the film has occult elements, too. Anya conjures a spirit, which marks a major shift by the halfway point. It’s fitting that she sports a witch hat, considering her black magic prowess. The frequent red tones help to enforce both the 1970s aesthetic and the occult aspect, and the Halloween setting is another positive that horror fans should really enjoy. As for the performances, this is quite a small cast, and Anya really is the focus here. Though Hill’s character doesn’t say much, she still does quite a good job playing a bold and powerful force out for revenge.

While I’d love to see Anya in a feature, punishing other bad boys, this works quite well as a short. Anya has everything horror fans love, including a take-no-prisoners protagonist, a retro Halloween setting, and a chilling atmosphere.

8 Out of 10