Burgeoning filmmaker Axelle Carolyn showed a lyrical, controlled sense of cinema in her 2011 short film debut THE LAST POST. Now, the sometime actress, model and author has created another work of gentle, macabre craft in THE HALLOWEEN KID.

The short film features a rhyming, Edward Gorey-esque poem (penned by Carolyn) as its script and story; a tale of a poor, put-upon little boy named Henry who feels more akin to the supernatural creatures of his imagination than the cruel, narrow minded adults and children who permeate his world. But of course, Henry might not be as delusional as we think and, come Halloween, he finds his only moments of respite amongst other kids—who are in fact, dead!

That’s pretty much it as far as THE HALLOWEEN KID’s narrative goes, but like THE LAST POST, the film is not about story, rather creating a tiny, perfectly realized universe that aims for more sensitivity than shock, more melancholy than morbid. The music is lovely and whimsical, as is the almost Boris Karloff-like narration by legendary Shakespearean thespian Derek Jacobi.

THE HALLOWEEN KID shows even more promise from Carolyn, who with this beautifully sculpted piece of work is one to watch, not just as a “horror filmmaker”, but as a quality director of movies, full stop.

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