Caution Sign (2009) Poster

(2009)

User Reviews

Review this title
2 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
8/10
Are the owls what they seem?
Bou4 October 2009
Good job! I just saw this yesterday, at Bloomington's Dark Carnival film festival, for which it won Best Screen writing.

This is a character-driven film, which is unusual for a short, but it works because we either know these people or have been these people at one point or another in our lives. Most of this short feature is taken up by an argument that occurs during a late-night car trip down a winding road, a stupid argument sparked by an insignificant event--or, rather, an event that would have been insignificant had they left it alone. The argument quickly escalates, exposing how damaged this couple has become in their relationship. There is a moment when we are poised for them to turn back from what they're doing to each other, and themselves . . . and I, for one, was wishing rather hopelessly that they would.

I guessed at the ending (possibly because it was tangentially reminiscent of a horror short I read decades ago, although I doubt that the short-story writer or the screenwriter ever did). Nevertheless, I thought the action of the final scene was communicated cleverly and well.

The film is very well acted (the actors got separate applause in our theatre at the end), and it is also well shot, edited, and directed. It is no easy thing to make an effective horror film that is mostly talk, even if it's a short, and my hat is off to all involved.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
a well directed short, full of suspense
armanddiab9 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I just saw CAUTION SIGN at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival a few days ago. It was featured in the evening Horror session. The two actors in the film are very good, and create an effective chemistry for a husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend pair. The film does a good job at building suspense, and utilizing the horror of that which we don't see - which is the most effective horror anyway.

The last act is particularly scary, and in a good way. The mood and atmosphere in the last few minutes go a long way to convey how we would feel in the same setting and situation as the main characters. After fate has their way with them, we're surprised at how well we've been played.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed