Check Again is a simple but effective horror short written, directed, and starring Kyle Schweikert that explores the terror of gas stoves and faulty electrical wiring.

Opening on a grinning mouth in a black void, it quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t your daddy’s science fiction double feature as we’re introduced to our nameless protagonist who comes to check on a boiling kettle before pouring himself a glass of tea. He then somewhat obsessively flicks the knobs to ensure that the gas has been turned off before going to bed but just as he goes to turn off the lights, the stove reignites.

The short continues in this fashion as he becomes increasingly fraught and befuddled by his disobedient oven. It’s a bit of an oddball concept for a horror short and I don’t imagine it would have the legs to stand up to a longer run time, but through a combination of interesting camera work, particularly in an overhead shot where the burners are shown igniting in the darkness, a subtle, haunting score, and the anxiety communicated through Schweikert’s facial expressions, it managed to keep my interest for its 4 minutes.

There is some dubious makeup work and it doesn’t go anywhere particularly surprising, but as an exercise in creating horror from the mundane, Check Again proves that it’s able to heat things up without getting burnt out.