The seventeenth and final entry at the Horror-Rama Film Festival was the American short film Mantid. A surprise visitor stops by an unsuspecting household for a midnight snack. Will they survive the home invasion?

Directed by Krista Michaels, it starts with a fun opening credits sequence with psychedelic visuals. What follows is an homage to horror TV from the 1950s. Then it cuts to a woman who’s been awoken by a loud thump so she goes to tend to her crying baby. The noises get louder so she calls her husband to see when he will be home. She makes a horrifying discovery of an alien in her home. She has memories of a UFO crash too. Suspense is built through the use of coloured lights and shadows with good bait and switch set up and pay off too. It also boasts excellent creature and gore effects. Unfortunately, things fall apart because messy storytelling leads to a confusing, muddled ending.

The entire cast does fine at filling their respective roles but there isn’t much substance to them. Granted a limited runtime doesn’t leave much wiggle room for backstory or character growth but plenty can be conveyed through showing and not telling. The way characters are dressed, their body language and facial expressions all contribute to what makes characters who they are. It’s up to the director to get the best performance from the actors to make the audience feel something. Since not much is known about the family, it’s difficult to feel compassion for them

Overall, I didn’t like it but the audience had a positive response clapping and cheering. It does have plenty of good qualities and I can see why people would like it. On the other hand, I see its flaws and understand why some people don’t like it. It has an interesting premise with inventive directing but I felt like the characters could have been written stronger. I would recommend this because I believe you can’t truly judge a film until seeing it for yourself. And remember, no time like the present to start Praying the Mantid doesn’t get you next.

Grade: 6/10