"The Maiden" is a surprisingly good and effective little short film. Written and director by Michael Chaves, the film manages to set a feeling of dread from the beginning, but it is as the short continues that it gets under your skin. The lead performance by Alia Raelynn is very good and shows good promise. The techniques and special effects used in the film are seamless, in that I could not tell if they were digitally created or done practical. I won't be giving away any of the plot, as this is something to see and experience with no primer. Suffice to say this is a good little scare film. I enjoyed this and look forward to seeing more from this talented group.
5 Reviews
The dark side of real state
DogFilmCritic15 August 2016
I still say it short films are the Mecca for horror they show and not tell they use the time perfectly to execute the story, I have heard that real state agents will go to far ends to sell a house haunted or not I hope I was joking but they would dodge any question you make regarding to anything bad in a house how I know this my sister is in real states.
You can see the effort in that was put into this the acting and effects are solid, would I like to see a feature film made of this short...no cause it's good as it is no reason to stretch a simple idea like this and it work way better.
If you are into short horror films make this one your third or fifth it the better part of the ten shorts you will see.
You can see the effort in that was put into this the acting and effects are solid, would I like to see a feature film made of this short...no cause it's good as it is no reason to stretch a simple idea like this and it work way better.
If you are into short horror films make this one your third or fifth it the better part of the ten shorts you will see.
Make time for this short sometime soon!
d-snake114 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The Maiden is a tale about a house, the thing that haunts it, and what ties them all together.
Haunted house? Sure. Haunted jewelry? That's more like it. The film starts off with a 43-second scene that sets the mood for the rest of the nine minutes. A little girl wearing a notable necklace is running from what looks to be a mean, old nanny. When the girl leaves through the front doors, we realize the old crone is much more than a nanny.
A large amount of time later, the house is now dilapidated, but real estate agent Lucy, played wonderfully by Alia Raelynn, only sees it as a commission check. She sets off into the house to begin taking the top layer of grime off before she shows the house to potential buyers.
It doesn't take long for her to find a familiar necklace, and that's when our old friend begins to show up. Now, Lucy isn't one to run and hide from just a little supernatural activity, at least not once she finds out that a prospective buyer wants to take a look at the house in an hour.
Lucy begins to clean up the mess of a ritual ring when she hears a sound from a water bucket. As anyone in a supernatural horror film would do, she takes a look over the edge of the bucket. Of course, the evil spawn within tries to drown the real estate agent by pulling her into the bucket.
As Lucy pulls her head from the water, the creature within rips the necklace from her neck.
After laying down a rug to cover the water, we cut to the potential buyer ripping on the house. Lucy does her best to complete the sale, and after a bit of haggling, they come to an agreement.
That's when the buyer's daughter comes out from around back. The man sends his young daughter into the house without a second thought, and after a moment of hesitation, Lucy decides not to intervene.
Just before she's about to walk through the doors, she sees a necklace on the ground, picks it up, and is pulled into the house before anyone can react.
While the story itself is solid for a 9-minute film, it's not even the best part of the movie. The special effects and lighting are both utterly smooth and seamless, and they're still not the top part, either. The cinematography and the editing in The Maiden are just that. The quick cuts are well balanced with long, developing shots, creating a wonderfully creepy effect.
The Maiden is one of the better short films I've seen in a while, and I recommend making time for this one.
Haunted house? Sure. Haunted jewelry? That's more like it. The film starts off with a 43-second scene that sets the mood for the rest of the nine minutes. A little girl wearing a notable necklace is running from what looks to be a mean, old nanny. When the girl leaves through the front doors, we realize the old crone is much more than a nanny.
A large amount of time later, the house is now dilapidated, but real estate agent Lucy, played wonderfully by Alia Raelynn, only sees it as a commission check. She sets off into the house to begin taking the top layer of grime off before she shows the house to potential buyers.
It doesn't take long for her to find a familiar necklace, and that's when our old friend begins to show up. Now, Lucy isn't one to run and hide from just a little supernatural activity, at least not once she finds out that a prospective buyer wants to take a look at the house in an hour.
Lucy begins to clean up the mess of a ritual ring when she hears a sound from a water bucket. As anyone in a supernatural horror film would do, she takes a look over the edge of the bucket. Of course, the evil spawn within tries to drown the real estate agent by pulling her into the bucket.
As Lucy pulls her head from the water, the creature within rips the necklace from her neck.
After laying down a rug to cover the water, we cut to the potential buyer ripping on the house. Lucy does her best to complete the sale, and after a bit of haggling, they come to an agreement.
That's when the buyer's daughter comes out from around back. The man sends his young daughter into the house without a second thought, and after a moment of hesitation, Lucy decides not to intervene.
Just before she's about to walk through the doors, she sees a necklace on the ground, picks it up, and is pulled into the house before anyone can react.
While the story itself is solid for a 9-minute film, it's not even the best part of the movie. The special effects and lighting are both utterly smooth and seamless, and they're still not the top part, either. The cinematography and the editing in The Maiden are just that. The quick cuts are well balanced with long, developing shots, creating a wonderfully creepy effect.
The Maiden is one of the better short films I've seen in a while, and I recommend making time for this one.
Very generic, but never inspired
Horst_In_Translation15 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Maiden" is an American 9-minute short film in the English language. This one is from 2016, so still pretty new and it is probably the most known career work to date by writer and director Michael Chaves. In the focus here is a(n of course very pretty) young woman working as a real estate agent and she is left in charge of a haunted house. While cleaning it, she has several supernatural encounters, but none of that can shock her away as much to panic and run out of the house as quickly as she can. The final sequence is then about her attempt to sell it to a congressman apparently. So yeah, this little movie is full of jump scares and dangerous situations with ghost creatures and this is basically what defines the film. But there is nothing in here I have not seen before and frequently done better to be honest. I think if Chaves wants to move forward to full feature filmmaking (maybe horror too), then he needs to improve for sure. I personally give this one here a thumbs-down and it's really only for those who watch every horror (short) movie they can get their hand on.
Well Done! Bravo!
genowhirl11 January 2017
The writers and directors definitely restored and utilized the craft of horror which made all of its tropes (some more cliché than others) feel refreshing. There is an atmosphere of dread right from the beginning and it only grows more palpable as it continues slowly crawling under your skin. Before you know it, you'll find yourself looking back every now and then to make sure the Maiden isn't behind you. The acting in this film was as superb and seamless as the effects! And by that, I mean that it was all just so smooth and realistic. It all felt like it belonged and wasn't too cheesy nor over-the-top, but was nested in that sweet middle ground. The character designs, especially the Maiden, were well-constructed. The Maiden's design was so good that it was hard to tell if it was simply make up or if it was assisted digitally. The sound effects and music were used perfectly; rather than abusing them for cheap jump scares, the film utilizes its score to teach the viewer when to be scared or anxious and to bolster the events taking place. Even the silence was used correctly. The cinematography was so smooth in transition, using solid angles and lighting to it's advantage.
I greatly enjoyed this and would love to see more by such a talented group.
I greatly enjoyed this and would love to see more by such a talented group.
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