The Canadian short film Verified was the twelfth entry at the Horror-Rama Film Festival. The horror/comedy is about a social media influencer named Nicky. It tells a day in the life story as she covers an array of topics like make-up tutorials, shopping, and walking in the park among other things for her live streams. One day while live-streaming she gets bit by a Zombie. As the days go by she and her bite mark look progressively worse as she’s updating her fans. Will she get the subscribers she craves before getting a craving for brains?

Director Ali Chappell blends horror and humour brilliantly using expert comedic timing when necessary and shifts gears to display good jump scares and impressive body horror. The practical effects of the gore made the audience verbally react. Its pacing and story structure makes it feel complete despite the short runtime. The cinematography was also great because the colour schemes are so vibrant they just pop off the screen.

Arrielle Edwards plays Nicky. She’s fantastic as the oblivious Zombie bite victim. The audience laughed out loud several times at her performance. How she reacts to the initial bite and the ongoing comments section in live streams is hilarious. She does well at carrying the film because I was fully invested in her character and she’s the only person in it. Her comedic timing is exceptional too.

Overall, this was another crowd-pleasing stand-out among the entries of the Horror-Rama Film Festival. The audience cheered and gave a standing ovation at the end. It’s unique directing, clever writing, and amazing acting make this a highlight and personal favourite. It’s funny, scary, and gorgeous to look at. The reasoning behind that title is also clever. It’s reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead so I recommend it to fans of that. And remember, this film just goes to show you can really see what makes a person tick…when they talk.

Grade: 9/10