Melancholia

Director - Emir Skalonja (The Butcher, The Plague)
Starring - Katherine Fudge (The Plague 2: Biohazard Blood), Victoria Haines (Flesh of My Flesh), and Michelina Houlihan (Flesh of my Flesh, The Plague 2: Biohazard Blood)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Demons sleep in your head"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Emir Skalonja has a work ethic like no other.  Not only is he an acclaimed indie director, but this sumbitch is also a horror author.  When he is not working one project he is instantly getting another off the ground.  I had heard rumor and say a few posts online that Emir would be releasing his anticipated sequel to The Plague very soon and not long ago he reached out to me with news that he wrapped a short horror film that is very near and dear to him.  The short, Melancholia, is a tale about mental illness and depression.  I want to thank Emir for thinking about Horror Society and myself when he was reaching out to writers for reviews.
     The film follows a young girl who is constantly under attack by people who wish her dead.  Are they people real or just a figment of her imagination?






     When Emir reached out to me to review his short Melancholia he mentioned that it was an experimental horror flick.  I agreed to check it out because most of Emir's films have been pretty fun and gory.  Arthouse and experimental horror films usually go over my head.  I'm an idiot and typically like my horror to be more straight forward.  Lucky for me, Melancholia was easy to follow and flowed like the type of films I enjoy.  The acting in this one is solid.  A few of Emir's other titles had me on the fence in terms of performance but this one is very well acted.  The entire cast is tasked at bring unconventional characters to life and they succeed.  The story for this one is very symbolic and powerful.  The young woman struggling to survive while coping with the demons in her head and false images is a little hard to follow but if you stick with it the movie will come full circle.  A few of the scenes in this short is a little too long but the overall story is very well written and thought provoking.  Finally, there is a few on screen kills with minor practical effects but the point of this one is to tell a story and not cover the viewer in bloodshed.  If you want gore then check out Emir's The Butcher.  Overall, Melancholia is a film that will be close to home for some of you.  To some, horror is not being robbed at gun point or raped in a dark alley on your way home at night but something people battle on a daily basis with undiagnosed mental illnesses and depression.  This unconventional horror flick needs to be seen.