Gripping story with well-crafted characters

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

"The Maiden" is an American 9-minute short film in the English language. This one is from 2016, so still pretty new and it is probably the most known career work to date by writer and director Michael Chaves. In the focus here is a(n of course very pretty) young woman working as a real estate agent and she is left in charge of a haunted house. While cleaning it, she has several supernatural encounters, but none of that can shock her away as much to panic and run out of the house as quickly as she can. The final sequence is then about her attempt to sell it to a congressman apparently. So yeah, this little movie is full of jump scares and dangerous situations with ghost creatures and this is basically what defines the film. But there is nothing in here I have not seen before and frequently done better to be honest. I think if Chaves wants to move forward to full feature filmmaking (maybe horror too), then he needs to improve for sure. I personally give this one here a thumbs-down and it's really only for those who watch every horror (short) movie they can get their hand on.

The writers and directors definitely restored and utilized the craft of horror which made all of its tropes (some more cliché than others) feel refreshing. There is an atmosphere of dread right from the beginning and it only grows more palpable as it continues slowly crawling under your skin. Before you know it, you'll find yourself looking back every now and then to make sure the Maiden isn't behind you. The acting in this film was as superb and seamless as the effects! And by that, I mean that it was all just so smooth and realistic. It all felt like it belonged and wasn't too cheesy nor over-the-top, but was nested in that sweet middle ground. The character designs, especially the Maiden, were well-constructed. The Maiden's design was so good that it was hard to tell if it was simply make up or if it was assisted digitally. The sound effects and music were used perfectly; rather than abusing them for cheap jump scares, the film utilizes its score to teach the viewer when to be scared or anxious and to bolster the events taking place. Even the silence was used correctly. The cinematography was so smooth in transition, using solid angles and lighting to it's advantage. I greatly enjoyed this and would love to see more by such a talented group.

I still say it short films are the Mecca for horror they show and not tell they use the time perfectly to execute the story, I have heard that real state agents will go to far ends to sell a house haunted or not I hope I was joking but they would dodge any question you make regarding to anything bad in a house how I know this my sister is in real states. You can see the effort in that was put into this the acting and effects are solid, would I like to see a feature film made of this short...no cause it's good as it is no reason to stretch a simple idea like this and it work way better. If you are into short horror films make this one your third or fifth it the better part of the ten shorts you will see.

"The Maiden" is a surprisingly good and effective little short film. Written and director by Michael Chaves, the film manages to set a feeling of dread from the beginning, but it is as the short continues that it gets under your skin. The lead performance by Alia Raelynn is very good and shows good promise. The techniques and special effects used in the film are seamless, in that I could not tell if they were digitally created or done practical. I won't be giving away any of the plot, as this is something to see and experience with no primer. Suffice to say this is a good little scare film. I enjoyed this and look forward to seeing more from this talented group.