Jess (Alice Borcean) and Tom (Jaz Martin) are being shown around a new home by Beatrice (Judy Clement) at the beginning of the new film Night Terror. The couple adores the clean aesthetic, the airy layout, and the views, save for one neighbor who seems to be recording them from his window across the way. This is horror, so the couple flippantly dismisses the peeping tom and they decide to take the place. Written and directed by multi-hyphenate filmmaker Brian Feeney, Night Terror is an earnest, lean, micro-budget short that holds few surprises yet still manages to entertain.

As Jess and Tom settle in for their first night things go from bad to worse. After a quick trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night, Jess spots her peeping tom neighbor in her front yard with yet another menacing figure. Will they attempt to break in? What do they want?

Night Terror is a home invasion short that adds a slight twist to the mix. Unfortunately, that twist is never really pronounced aside from an ambiguous danger of captivity. Ryan Adison Amen supplies a rich, synth-heavy score that matches the visual vibe of the film perfectly. Brian Feeney’s technical talent is on full display here as the writer, editor, director, and cinematographer and he succeeds for the most part with a crisply produced short that requires just a pinch of viewer surrender.