Twinkle is scary simplicity at its finest. It tells a terrifying story in less than 4 minutes, with only two lines spoken. Both lines being “Dad.” Don’t worry, not a spoiler. This film proves that all you need is a simple scary premise. With that, you can create a rich tale, all with the use of simple shots and a word or two. Give this same story to Hollywood, and you’d have a two and a half hour movie filled with CGI, unlikable characters, subplots that add nothing to the story, and maybe a pop-out scare – if you’re lucky. Twinkle created a horrifying tale that was simple, fun to watch, and scary as all hell.

Twinkle is the story of a daughter (Britni Camacho) who is the caretaker of her elderly father (Gregory Battle). After a strange event occurs, the world around her starts to act oddly.. This includes her father. Twinkle is one long build of tension to a satisfying (albeit terrifying) ending that’ll make you jump out of your seat. Britni Camacho deserves high praise for her excellent portrayal of the daughter. Those are the eyes of discontentment, fear, and mystery. That is real vulnerability. 

I can not say enough good things about Twinkle. It is so rare in this day and age to see a short film that speaks to you in ways a full length; big budget horror has done. The cast and crew of Twinkle knew what they were doing, and it shows. I’m usually not a fan of black and white filters on modern stories, but it worked for this. It probably helped make the special FX even more believable. I give Twinkle 9 out of 10 hearing aids for brilliant work all around. Bravo!

Twinkle
RATING: NR
Horror Short Film “Twinkle” | ALTER
Runtime: 4 mins 2 secs
Directed By:
Kheireddine El-Helou
Written By:
Kheireddine El-Helou

About the Author

I like horror films, haunts, immersive theater, my cat, and butter.