Synopsis:
Sandy thought escaping deformed from her captor was bad enough, but after she meets the women whose body parts she now has attached to her, she realizes that her nightmare is just beginning.
Her Lips are Mine is a twisted animated horror short written, produced, and directed by Ken Cohen and featuring the voice talents of Michele Nichols, Erika Chase, Katie Liz Robbins, and Erica Mary Gillheeney. The animation was done by William Hennes and the music and sound by Vinny Alfano. It has already been selected for the Crimson Screen and Dragon Con festivals, where I’m predicting that it will do quite well.
If you’ve frequented our site, you’d know that I am a sucker for animations, probably due to me being an eternal, evil child. I love a good animated horror short and actually requested screeners for this, which is the opposite of how things usually work. The previews that I had seen looked exactly like something that I would enjoy, so I’ll admit right now that this review is probably a little biased, but it will also be absolutely honest.
I genuinely loved the film (big surprise) but not for the reasons that I thought I might. The animation was a grim black and white with splashes of red, the style something akin to a simple, rustic 3D. I say rustic as 3D computer animation has been out for a long while—since the early 90’s—and the style of this film was definitely a throwback for me. That said, it did not feel dated but rather stylised to fit a certain mood; one which I think it managed to capture.
The story, which I am not going to dive into as you need to see this sans spoilers, was not quite what I was expecting. It felt like more of a social commentary on the female obsession with appearance and beauty than it did straight-up horror, but it does definitely check that horror box.
With its quick six-minute runtime, Her Lips are Mine does not have time to waste, nor does it. I suppose it’s a love story in essence, but a love story the likes of which you have yet to witness. I could not predict anything and was captivated from start to fantastic end. It twists wonderfully and contains some very dark humour, which is something I always welcome in any genre.
Where the film truly won me over was with the writing. There is a heavy sense of surrealism from start to end, with the characters almost blase with their interactions, giving the short a sort of dark comedy feel. Violence, gore, and removed facial features are talked about in the most natural of manners and Her Lips are Mine really delivers where it matters.
It’s a great short; my cup of tea. Snarky, witty, thoughtful, intelligent, gory and gratuitous. Six minutes of my life well spent. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Trailer and such below.
