The Stomach

Spirits of the dead can be contacted via a medium who channels them in a bizarre way - they manifest themselves inside his stomach. Things get complicated when some criminals use him to get information on a man they have just killed.

Short films are a difficult thing to pull off successfully. Normally there is insufficient time to build things up to the point where the audience gets involved with events to care enough. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised with Ben Steiner's The Stomach. This is a pretty original film it has to be said and cleverly tells a traditional ghost story in a very visceral way. It's simply a good idea to have the spirits of the dead channelled through the physical world in a manner that touches on body horror too. I couldn't help thinking while watching this that it would be a great instalment in an anthology horror film. It certainly suggests that director Steiner could be the perfect man to devise a new one of those if The Stomach is a good indicator.

Plot

Frank's had enough. A spirit medium whose unique and grotesque method of channeling the dead is putting his own life at risk, he wants out. But others, in this world and the next, have plans of their own. Part body horror, part crime thriller, part ghost story, The Stomach is a unique tale of Supernatural Noir.

Cast

Big ol' shrug

Verdict

Got a strong stomach? You'll need it, pun intended.

British made The Stomach tells the story of a medium who can allow people (For a fee) to communicate with the dead through his erm.......stomach. He however wants out, it's not a pleasant experience for him but his business partner isn't so eager to let him go. To make matters worse a mob boss is trying to communicate with a criminal associate to locate stashed loot!

It's very unsettling stuff yet at the same time fairly engrossing. At around 15 minutes in length it manages to tell a solid story complete with a beginning/middle/end which generally they fail to do.

Not exactly enjoyable but I can't fault its originality.

Breakdown + Great concept

• More than a little gross
• Mediocre cast

Rants

I feel like setting up a medium service, not to scam people like all the other mediums but simply to offer the service of reality. What I mean by that is they come in, give me money and then I slap the hell out of them hopefully knocking some sense into them that nobody has superpowers and they're throwing money at fraudsters! Anyone want to get in on this action with me? Two hands are better than one to slap the faces of people THAT dumb.

The first term to define it can be bizarre. But it is only provocative. And the main virtue remains the well craft of a story mixing spirits, crime and a not ordinarymedium. So, a nice surprise for original story, special effects and the precise end.