Before getting into the review, I need to come clean and admit that I was a Kickstarter backer of this production and it is something that I have been looking forward to for a long time. I have the book and its editor (Samantha Kolesnik) is a phenomenal author. Jeremy Herbert—who is the director of one of the segments—created one of my all-time favourite short films, The Things With The Glowing Green Eyes.
Needless to say, I have some personal bias and a vested interest in this film doing well as it was created by members of the indie horror community that I have worked with and reviewed for over the last few years. They are a very talented and passionate crew of horror aficionados. So, with that admittance out of the way, let’s jump in.
Worst Laid Plans is a horror anthology with a vacation theme. If you follow the site, you’d know that we love anthologies and short films in general—and these projects are more often hit than miss. Even if you don’t like all of the short films, there’s usually at least one that grabs your attention, making the watch worthwhile.
The first segment, Deep in the Heart, was a great way to start off the film. It has very memorable, colourful characters and comes across as an ode to the B-movies of yesteryear with its practical horror effects. The segment is written, directed and produced by John Hale and stars Christopher Trindade and Maximillian Koger.
The message of the short seems to take precedence over the horror features but the story itself is pretty fun; tourists venturing down into a dark cave system not yet fully explored. I really love cave-themed horrors and creature features as a genre, so this was great as an opener. The practical effects and gore were really on point. It’s a well-crafted short that doesn’t shy away from what it is trying to say—the opposite of subtlety.
The second contribution to this bite-sized horror party pack is You’ve Been Saved, a religious-themed story of abduction and not-so-subtle iconography. This short was directed by Christopher Moore and was written and produced by Moore and Amanda Stone. Paying close attention to the t-shirts will give you a taste of what’s to come. I really enjoyed the second segment though telling you why would really spoil the tale’s love(craft?)ly twist. It was easily my favourite of the three stories told—probably because it features all of the themes that I enjoy the most.
Taylor Family Vacation ’93 is Herbert’s contribution to the film and I have yet to be disappointed by anything he has made. Morgan McLeod returns from Herbert’s previous productions so it was nice to see a familiar face in the film. TFV ’93 was the first short to have that real 90s vibe to it, with the grainy footage, camcorder, wardrobe, TV, and décor all being on point for the time period. The token Herbert score returns (by Sam Pownell) as well with the obligatory Hawaiian shirt making its cameo.
TFV ’93 was a strange choice for me to end the anthology with as it is far more sombre and less of a traditional horror compared to the previous two titles. It is more of a psychological thriller and while the acting, cinematography, and setting were all perfectly on point, the short leaves the viewer feeling a bit morbid. You could argue that making the viewer feel as sad as it does was the intent of the filmmaker, but I was expecting something more akin to the previous titles—films that left you with food for thought. Then again, Herbert does tend to tackle themes that deal with the fragility of the human psyche so again, this could be considered within his wheelhouse.
Overall, I really enjoyed the anthology. Worst Laid Plans was not the film that I was expecting going in—it was a lot darker and grittier and its political themes and social commentary were openly on display. Worst Laid Plans manages to be both nostalgic and modern and serves up a bit of something for all tastes.
Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. The film has only just hit the festival circuit so it will most likely be a while before you get to see it, but we will nevertheless keep you in the loop. The poster and trailer are below.
