While not perfect, John the Carpenter is a worthy effort in survivalist horror with a little bit of cat and mouse thrown in.

A cool horror short is making its debut tonight at the Dances with Films festival in Hollywood and you would do well to see. John The Carpenter is the story of everyday guy John who, with his sister Anna, get into an accident after a horrifying creature jumps out in front of their truck.

Told in a circuitous manner that has events folding back on themselves the film wastes no time in getting started. The pic opens with John, thrown from the wreckage, face torn and bloody, as the ominous roar of a monster echoes through the desolate forest at night. We then see a woman, who we later surmise as his sister Anna who, in an attempt to save her unconscious brother, is luring the creature deeper into the surrounding woods. What began as a survivalist story morphs into a revenge tale when the monster kills Anna and John constructs a trap and sets a plan in motion to capture the beast before it can harm another soul.

The photography in the film is expert, mixing an even balance of stark shadows and looming forest with gritty reality of daylight.  We also enjoy wonderful make up effects, particularly in the close-ups of John’s wounded face. The creature itself makes a formidable foe and its references to Predator do not go unnoticed.

There are problems with the film, but there is far more good than what might not work. Carpenter builds a convoluted, yet interesting plot that could have played out chronologically just as well. The pic has our main character wander into a home at one point to use a phone, but whose home is it? We can assume it is John’s home as he soon sets to work on crafting his defense here.

Those minor problems aside, this is 20 minutes well spent in a grey little survival tale against a viscous monster.

Grab your tickets here!