Ever imagined if your small-town life had been cultivated by a deranged group of satanic loonies, ensuring you stayed pure and unspoilt so that they could sacrifice you to the pointy-tailed demon himself? Of course you have, but now you can see that nightmare played out in short film Order of the Ram from Crossroad Pictures, in this throwback to cult horrors with some sublime cinematography.
Set mostly in a wooded area, Mary (May Kaspar), is busy taking photographs of the natural splendour around her, when she is startled by a strange, smoking figure. After trying to make small talk with the man, he chases her and knocks her out - obviously not a fan of chit chat. When Mary awakes, she is tied to a tree and surrounded by a group of hooded men and a woman - who is known as Mother (Danni Scott- White).
Mother reveals to Mary that the group before her are the Order of the Ram, a devoted set of people who have overseen Mary's life in the community, ensuring no one got close to her, so that she would be the perfect sacrifice for their upcoming ritualÂ…
With some beautiful shots and an intriguing premise (sort of The Truman Show meets The Wicker Man), Lyus' short film has a lot to offer from a visual point of view and delivers a compelling story. One shot of falling leaves was totally engrossing.
It was great to see a blend of classic horror with a modern story, however the film needed more updating - in particular the score which felt outdated by about 30 years. The script was also pretty linear, failing to develop Mary, Mother or any of the supporting characters, instead driving the plot to a quick climax. It would have been nice to see some flashbacks of how the Order had controlled her life, or to give a back story to more of the members.
That being said, Order of the Ram does have an appeal to fans of the horror genre. The tension is palpable as Mary's predicament becomes increasingly perilous, whilst the sound effects used on her heavy breathing and scream create a fantastic shock for the viewer. The main strength of this short film, though, is in the framing of the shots. Fluid cutting between faces of the Order, and some great close-ups of Mary are effective in creating a creepy and fascinating atmosphere.
Set mostly in a wooded area, Mary (May Kaspar), is busy taking photographs of the natural splendour around her, when she is startled by a strange, smoking figure. After trying to make small talk with the man, he chases her and knocks her out - obviously not a fan of chit chat. When Mary awakes, she is tied to a tree and surrounded by a group of hooded men and a woman - who is known as Mother (Danni Scott- White).
Mother reveals to Mary that the group before her are the Order of the Ram, a devoted set of people who have overseen Mary's life in the community, ensuring no one got close to her, so that she would be the perfect sacrifice for their upcoming ritualÂ…
With some beautiful shots and an intriguing premise (sort of The Truman Show meets The Wicker Man), Lyus' short film has a lot to offer from a visual point of view and delivers a compelling story. One shot of falling leaves was totally engrossing.
It was great to see a blend of classic horror with a modern story, however the film needed more updating - in particular the score which felt outdated by about 30 years. The script was also pretty linear, failing to develop Mary, Mother or any of the supporting characters, instead driving the plot to a quick climax. It would have been nice to see some flashbacks of how the Order had controlled her life, or to give a back story to more of the members.
That being said, Order of the Ram does have an appeal to fans of the horror genre. The tension is palpable as Mary's predicament becomes increasingly perilous, whilst the sound effects used on her heavy breathing and scream create a fantastic shock for the viewer. The main strength of this short film, though, is in the framing of the shots. Fluid cutting between faces of the Order, and some great close-ups of Mary are effective in creating a creepy and fascinating atmosphere.
