Is “you just got rizzled” already an expression? If not, can we make it one?
In just under five minutes, “The Rizzle” easily became one of the creepiest shorts of the 2018 Huluween Film Fest, introducing us to one of those “born in the wrong generation” teenagers who is obsessed with 1920s vaudeville dancing, spending her evening watching old black-and-white clips on the internet. She discovers a new one that piques her interest, mainly due to the fact that it has no views, no uploader name, and no description other than a cryptic message: “Try The Rizzle if you dare.”
Simultaneously fascinated and creeped out by the gaunt, suited figure performing a vaudeville dance against a black backdrop, she attempts to try “the Rizzle” dance herself–until she hears familiar footsteps outside her door.
“The Rizzle” has a similar effect of walking into an antique store and finding a particularly ghastly artifact that has you convinced that it’s haunted; the warm nostalgia often associated with vintage items isn’t necessarily always present. The film takes a popular modern theme–internet horror–and turns it into an original idea that packs a punch. Despite a somewhat predictable ending, the haunting visuals and building suspense, in a matter of minutes, are enough nightmare fuel for an entire evening. I look forward to seeing what writer/director Josh Tanner has to offer us in the world of modern-vintage horror in the future.
Want to watch it? Here it is right now!