Infirmity

Director(s) - Kyle Hytonen (Massacre at Femur Creek) and Derek Lukosius (Had Babbits)
Starring - Heather Dicke (Bed of the Dead), Brent Baird (Secret Santa), and Rod McTaggart (The Frozen Goose)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "side effects may include..."
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     My local internet provider, who is also my employer in a round about way, and myself have been at war for a few years now over my internet speeds.  They are the only provider in my area so I am forced to go with them which means they can charge whatever they want and deliver poor speeds.  This has made reviewing some titles almost impossible when they are only available via streaming.  Speeds are tolerable between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. so late night viewing is about the only time I can get these films checked out.  I was recently asked to check out the new short from Massacre at Femur Creek director Kyle Hytonen.  He co-directed Infirmity with Derek Lukosius.  With it being a short I decided to sit through the buffering and give it a shot.  Thanks Kyle for reaching out to me.

     The short follows a young couple who are having a hard time financially.  They are far behind on their rent and their landlord is one step away from kicking them to the curve.  For some extra cash they decided to try a new pharmaceutical drug and record the effects it has on them and meet periodically for check ups.  Everything is fine at first.  Sara (Dicke) has a high sex drive but is more vocal than before while Ben (Baird) is low on stamina and not as outgoing.  Over time Sara becomes abusive and constantly batters Ben before she finally snaps.  She kills him and sets her sights on the pharmaceutical company that is paying her to try the new medication.

     I've seen a few dozen shorts my short time at Horror Society.  Some have a hard time building story in such a short period of time while others ruin the desire for a short by compiling a feature length story into a 20 minute film.  Infirmity runs around 15 minutes and they are able to give us 15 minutes of story.  It wasn't a rush to fill time or a movie that abruptly ends.  Infirmity had a short period of time and used it's time wisely with a story that fit the time slot perfectly.  The acting in this one is great.  The cast, though small, all works very well with each other which makes the story move along nicely.  Heather Dicke had the more demanding role but was able to pull it off flawlessly.  She was lovely when she had to be and deadly when it called for it.  The story for this one is not that original.  In fact, it reminded me a lot of the film Strange Blood.  Where that film followed a vampire like story, Infirmity follows a stable woman as she becomes unhinged from the medication she is taking.  I enjoyed the way the story went but it could have easily been turned into the opening sequence of a much bigger horror film.  A slasher perhaps.  There could be so much more to this one than what we get.  Finally, the film does have a on screen kill that is rather boring considering everything we have seen in film up to this point.  As the film concludes we are robbed of what is hinted as being the second kill as the film ends.  The effects for the one kill we get are very basic and simple.  Gore is not to be seen but there is a little blood.  Overall, Infirmity is a brooding short that has a brilliant cast and a story that could be so much more.  We need a follow up and soon.