I love these kind of movies. The ones that manage to creep under your skin and leave a slight tingle over your body as the credits roll. I especially love the ones that don't bother to go into explanations, giving us the true horror of old school authors like Poe or Lovecraft. The only explanation is that there isn't one. Good is good and bad is bad. Things unknown or unseen to us living, in this modern world of ours. I also find that when a mystery remains, especially an eerie one, we tend to think on it more than we would had it been explained. What's out there lurking? Just beyond what we consider the norm. Scripted stories that have an absolute resolution, can't accomplish what a nameless fear can accomplish. Not in the same, effective manner. "The Jigsaw" from writers - directors Basil Al-Safar and Rashad Al-Safar is one such film. Short, creepy and sweet. Revolving around a mysterious puzzle purchased from a strange, unusual man, this film simply screams 1990s horror although visually, much better than most of the era. The magic is in the build-up. We, the viewers just know this is an evil object. We know exactly what is going to happen. Maybe not the details, but we know something is up. The creep-factor is in the knowing, just waiting to see what that "something" is going to be. There's no unique qualities here. We've seen this type of story. That however, is what makes it so darn good. The familiar feeling we get just knowing if it was us, we would steer clear of that damned puzzle. But what a great set-up it is. As for the climax itself? Just as creepy as you are hoping. Just as unexplained as you're going to get. The bottom line? This is probably one of the top two horror shorts I've seen this year. The technical elements of this title leave little to complain about. Visually, this is an excellent looking film. Matching those of it's bigger budget, studio productions. Audio? Same-same. The acting and pacing is top notch, everything, like the title itself, just seems to fit into place. I realize that the plot itself could be considered cliche - but that's the point. As I wrote above, the familiar story is what really pushes this movie along. We just know...... what we know. As much as I "could" write that a complete twist, or unique narrative could have made this film better, in my heart I know that probably isn't the case. As I said, the film plays on the familiar story. It gives it it's power. So in the end there's really only one question to be answered. Does it look good? Yes. Yes it does. "The Jigsaw" is available for public viewing right now. Free. When you get this quality in a free, online production, there's really no reason not to see it. Clocking in at around nine minutes, it's a guilty pleasure for any lovers of the genre. What's even better is that "The Jigsaw" isn't limited to horror buffs. Everyone can enjoy this movie. It's not graphic or gory, and is really just an enjoyable "freaky" experience. So why not do yourself a solid and have a look. You'll be glad you did. I know I was.
