I love it when the team behind a film goes all in and has some fun. With the new short Rejected, we are treated to a trilogy of silly stories all involving a “brand new” digital camera from tech giant Somu. Hosts Bob Dergens (Rene Rivas) and Sharron Nelson (Sarah Llewellyn) host an infomercial set in 1997 to showcase three rejected commercials for the new piece of innovative technology. That’s the framing device. That’s it. Questions abound, of course. Mainly, why would a company produce a collection of their jettisoned ads? But if you are asking that then you are missing the point entirely. This is goofball gross-out horror comedy of the highest order. It is fully aware of what it’s doing and to hell with you if you aren’t having fun too.

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Jamie (Bryn Booth) and Nathan (Joel Foster) visit an art gallery and come across a strange painting. Nathan insists they get a picture with it on the all-new digital camera that takes a 3.5″ floppy disk instead of regular film. Later on when reviewing the pics, it seems that the spirit of the painting has followed them home.

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Jonah (Austin Buchanan), Bobby (David W Rice), and Alice (Erin Zipse) are out in the woods when one of them pulled out their snazzy new digital camera. After setting the camera up on a timer and posing, they realize there is a fourth subject in the frame. It must be seen to be believed. Limbs fly, heads are torn off in a single swipe, and still, the camera captures the moment. GO SOMU!

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Friends Sue (Lauren Hardcastle) and Beth (Haley Jaeger) are out on the town when the two discover Sue’s boyfriend Jeff (Bradford Trojan) having dinner in a restaurant with another woman, Abby (Alex Demeroutis). Thanks to the camera’s ability to capture the moment, Sue retreats to her home and casts a nasty spell on Jeff, sending his evening into chaos.

Writer-director Rene Rivas is here to deliver a good time. While there is some kitsch and more than a few laughs mined with the frightfully dated technology, it’s about the absurdity and the gore. The short is awash in practical effects and silly, over-the-top violence. I chuckled, I winced at the nostalgic sounds of file selections and transfers, and I laughed out loud at the lunacy of it all. Thank you, Rivas and company for a painful trip down memory lane seasoned with gratuitous gore.