Occurrence At Mills Creek: Don Swanson (Director)
Reviewed By Silvia B
Before I set out to review a feature that has not seen the light of day, I do my best to research and know everything there is to know about it. That’s how I learnt that ‘Occurrence at Mills Creek’ was originally released as a short film in mid-2019.
According to its optimistic director’s statement, the short received over 50 reviews from critics, yet a quick Google search only highlighted the ones focused on the dullness of the film and the wooden acting. One particular review of the short film, written by Chris Olson and available on the UK Film Review website states, and I quote
‘should a feature-length version emerge I would be interested to see what the end result would be without the need for an overstuffed short movie. It would need to be more skillfully crafted than this, though, and stripped of the indulgent emotional heft for something more lithe and compelling.’
I don’t feel there was that much craft or skill in its making. The acting was stale, almost theatrical at times, and the plot was unnecessarily overcomplicated. The so-called ‘jump scares’ expected after watching the trailer were supernatural apparitions of a gentle ghost.
All in all, two things keep coming back to me. First, why would someone invest time and money to do a feature film of a short film that was not reviewed kindly to begin with, and secondly, if you have been writing short films since 2001 without getting anywhere, maybe it’s time you leave the writing to the professionals and focus on directing and producing. Just a thought, but as I said, I am no expert.
Occurrence At Mills Creek
A young woman haunted by the death of her sister finds her reality eroding as she is plagued by a darkness hidden in her family’s past.
For more information please visit the official website www.occurrenceatmillscreek.com
Silvia Brown
Silvia Brown is a Spanish-born Australian horror writer and poet. Silvia lived and worked in Ireland, Canada, The Netherlands, (and Melbourne) before moving to Canberra to focus on her writing.
Her current projects include a poetry collection, a couple of short story commissions and a literary translation.
Silvia enjoys long naps with her bulldog Patch and attending writing conventions.
You can find out more about Silvia by visiting her official website www.silviabrown.wixsite.com
You can follow Silvia on Twitter @SilvBrownWriter
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