Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival 2024 – We’ve all had horrible dates at one point. However, no matter how bad they were, none can compare to what unfolds in Grampy, a short written and directed by Graham Burrell. Just imagine going over to your date’s house and finding out they have their deceased grandfather posed in the bedroom, overseeing everything.

The short stars Kerry Gallagher as Jenny and R.J. Pennington as Cody. For about the first 30 seconds of the film, things seem okay enough. The couple has dinner, but soon, Cody reveals one odd detail after the other, until Jenny realizes he’s preserved his grandfather, dressed him in a suit, and keeps him in the bedroom. Grampy, played by Ralph Cashen, has the creepiest grin that you’ll see in any film this year. Like Jenny, viewers will keep wondering whether or not he’s alive and may move and murder at any moment. To say he’s creepy is an understatement.

Yet, though the character of Grampy is quite unsettling, the short has a heck of a lot of humor, delivered quite well by Pennington and Gallagher. This is truly the date from hell, which grows more absurd as the runtime progresses. At one point, Jenny gets trapped in the house with her date and dear old Grampy. Burrell does a fine job balancing the scares with the laughs, showing his prowess as a young filmmaker and writer. He also weaves an important thread regarding Jenny’s loss of her father, giving a slight dose of realism.

Grampy is uncomfortable, awkward, frightful, and a heck of a lot of fun. Burrell gets the varying tones just right. I’d love to see more of Grampy, perhaps in a feature one day.

7.5 Out of 10