Nine shorts were presented at this past weekend’s Pretty Scary 2 Film Festival, sponsored by genre regular Shannon Lark’s Viscera Film Festival. Although these films were short -some lasting less than a minute – their message was loud and clear: you don’t need an hour and a half to make someone jump nor do you need a lengthy dialog.

The first two shorts, both less than a minute in length, were effective. In Sophie Lagues’ animated short, “Barbee Butcher”, we see the plastic sex symbol gets, well, butchered and her parts worn ala Buffalo Bill style. I have to admit, seeing Barbee get hers made me want to cheer. Sallie Smith’s “I’m A Little Teapot” also made the most of its short run time. This song will never be the same for me again.

Marichelle Daywalt’s “Mockingbird” again took a children’s song and turned it into a instrument of fear. While the creepiest sounds are heard via baby monitor, I still experienced chills as my mind wrapped around the horror of what could only be heard.

A simple trip to the doctor will never seem quite so simple after viewing Izabel Grondin’s French-Canadian entry “Fantasy”. The mind is left to wonder what those doctors are really thinking while we are on the table.

It turns out that not everyone in the horror community loves Eli Roth. Props to Devi Snively for being creative in her message about not only giving him what he deserves in “I Spit on Eli Roth” but also supporting her fellow indie horror film makers. I think I may have found my new favorite director to be on the look out for.

Taliesyn Brown’s “Don’t Lose Heart” gives us our token zombie short as we watch one woman try to escape during the zombie apocalypse in a most interesting way.

Angela Pritchett and Mariah Smith’s “Milton” was another short that lasted only three minutes but still made me jump at the end. An unhealthy relationship between mother and son was the focus of Sage Hall’s “Candy.”

“Wretched” by filmmakers Heidi Martinuzzi and Leslie Delano, dealt with one woman’s issues with control and self-esteem through a difficult dinner with her angry husband. I will never look at French fries the same way again!

The shorts, in short, did not disappoint: they had me jumping and almost doing the “chick hands.” For more information on these and other films by women filmmakers, check out the Viscera Film Festival website at http://www.viscerafilmfestival.com/ (sadly no longer available)