The horror short film The Mill at Calder's End (USA - 2015), winner of the "Best Animation" category at The Optical Theatre Film Festival 2016, is a wonderful gothic ghost story in the animation genre. Inspired by the literature of horror literature's holy monsters such as Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James, and by 1960s cinematography (particularly, for atmosphere, Mario Bava's "The Mask of the Devil"), The Mill at Calder's End is written, produced and directed by well-known Kevin McTurk, model maker, cinematographer, puppeteer and effects artist (Batman Returns, Interview with the Vampire, Jurassic Park, Shutter Island, Black Sheep...).
The Mill at Calder's End (a segment of the horror anthology "Minutes Past Midnight") is a magnetic horror short that fuses together the Gothic (in literature and film), horror, and Japanese puppet theater. Macabre and incredibly elegant, this short film opens a glimpse into a gloomy and magical world in which the protagonists are puppets handled by puppeteers. Indeed, bunraku puppets (about 76 cm tall) are the stars of this enchanting and spooky Gothic tale, and giving them their voices are actors Jason Flemyng (Seed of Chucky), John Alexander, Piotr Michael and scream queen Barbara Steele. The puppets also bear the likenesses of some of the most important icons of genre cinema (Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and that of the aforementioned Barbara Steele) and the story is narrated by a voiceover.
The result is a perfect and enchanting short film, a gem of the genre that glows with darkness. Meticulously edited down to the smallest detail, the film delivers 14 minutes of pure visual beauty and a story (the screenplay is by the director in collaboration with Ryan Murphy) that is chilling. Supported by expert direction, The Mill at Calder's End also enjoys the perfection of its puppets, which, expertly handled, almost seem to come to life. Kenton Drew Johnson's somber yet refined cinematography, in keeping with the ghost story, is impressive.
Plot: The remote village of Calder's End is home to an old windmill in which dark secrets are buried. To this haunted place Nicholas Grimshaw returns to break an ancient curse that has haunted his family for generations. Reaching the decaying mill, guardian of forgotten ruined catacombs, Grimshaw will confront the evil that has tormented his family for centuries.
