Velma (Scarlet Moreno) is searching for the right man and every encounter she has, she thinks she’s found him. Unfortunately for Velma, the men don’t stick around too long and she’s left heartbroken. Why can’t she find ‘the one’? This 14-minute short delivers a surprising revelation, which makes the viewer look at the titular character in a very different light.
‘Velma’, written and directed by lead star Scarlet Moreno, is a horror short that bubbles along with intrigue and serves up a surprisingly bloody twist. For the first three quarters of the short, we see men entering into Scarlet’s life, and home, but none of the encounters seems to lead anywhere. The men leave Scarlet’s life as quickly as they enter it but the viewer is left in the dark as to what’s actually happening. That is, until the viewer is taken into the full encounter with Velma’s latest handsome hunk (Zach Tinker). I don’t want to reveal exactly what happens here but things turn from a story about a hopeless romantic into something altogether more sinister.
Stylistically ‘Velma’ has plenty going for it. Shot through the lens of the 1960s, the colours are vibrant and the outfits are definitely eye-catching. There’s a really nice feel to the short that transports you back in time. That also helps to build an idea of who Velma is, a woman who struggles with being single and feels expected to find the right man. Of course, there’s much more going on than meets the eye and you’ll spend much of the short wondering what on earth is going on.
Moreno has plenty of fun as Velma. She plays the character as alluring and mysterious, but there’s a tragic side to the character too. Moreno communicates a lot through her body language and facial expressions, and the camera is drawn to her. She’s ably supported by ‘Days of Our Lives’ alum Zach Tinker, who impresses as Scarlet’s latest man. You can tell the two actors sparked off one another during filming, and that chemistry is evident in the short’s final act.
‘Velma’ is a solid short that packs plenty into its 14 minutes. I’d have liked to explore the character a little more and really dug into some of the themes that the short touches upon. Moreno is a magnetic screen presence and a talented film-maker, so I’ll be eagerly keeping an eye out for what she has to come in the future.
Cast: Scarlet Moreno, Zach Tinker Director: Scarlet Moreno Writer: Scarlet Moreno Certificate: Unrated Duration: 14 mins Release date: 26th March 2024
