Defarious is the first short by writer/director Chase Michael Pallante, who has since earned a number of credits in a variety of roles, and stars Janet Miranda and Jason Torres. After a few opening shots, the 11-minute short gets straight to its first jump scare, the image of our villain, Clown/Defarious (Torres), which causes Amy (Miranda) to rise from bed in a panicked sweat.

The first thing you notice about Defarious is how blue it is. Above creating a day for night feel without the issues of shooting in darkness, this helps create an eerie, dreamlike atmosphere, but at the same time, it does end up feeling somewhat visually monotonous. The camera work complements this by combining voyeuristic high-angle and tight, claustrophobic shots to add to the unease. The score is dramatic and foreboding, which tends to heighten the experience, but it does at times overstay its welcome and overshadow what’s occurring onscreen. The acting is hit and miss, Miranda isn’t given much to work with given she has the only speaking role and very few lines, but what we do get ranges from reactions that seem like they came out of a screwball comedy to scenes where she really gets into character and you can really feel her anxiety. The effects are standard low-budget fare, but the fact that they’re practical does lend them a certain realism.

There are too many buts in this review, but (I can’t help myself) that’s not an accident. Defarious feels like a short where the same elements that work in one scene may not work in another. Ultimately there is enough here that does work, that I am excited to see Pallante’s further work as he continues to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

For more information about the short and when you can see it for yourself, check out their website.