Horror in Short: Zach Green’s ‘Worm’
by Marc Patterson
I have to admit, I feel pretty lucky. I’ve been on a fairly solid streak of getting some decent films tossed my way as of late. I know I’ve just cursed myself, but hey… it’s all good. The latest bit of original horror is a short twenty-minute film from young filmmaker Zach Green. Worm is a suspense driven film surrounding a high school teacher on the verge of going postal. It’s a “day in the life of”, with a reveal that’s pretty shocking, and an ending I didn’t quite expect.
I like how Green sets the film up. A good natured teacher named Geoffrey Dodd (Robert Nolan) rolls into his class feeling good about his life, only to confront a class full of disinterested students. It’s not like the students are violent or abusive, such as that Japanese sensation Battle Royale; rather, they are just bored and unengaged. He silently berates them in his head and quickly we realize there is a ball of anger brewing inside Geoffrey that can’t be held back much longer.
That anger festers with every passing period. His animosity grows as the focal point moves from his students to his fellow staff. No question about it, this guy is one ticking time bomb.
Worm is a short film that borrows a page out of the old 1936 Hitchcock suspense film Sabotage, just that in the case of Worm, the ticking time bomb is a living, breathing man. Though I should say for a short film it could have done well to be a tad bit shorter. When you begin unfolding the darkness of a character so quickly there is only so much tension to work with before the rubber band snaps. Green sure knows how to stretch the tension to a peak, but at times faults as he pushes audiences too far. There’s not much in the way of back story presented, so literally this could have been boiled down to a fifteen minute movement with some of the unnecessary film trimmed out.
The acting on the part of Nolan is satisfying. He creates a believable anti-villain (if there is such a thing) in portraying a teacher pushed too far. It’s easy to sympathize with him all the while knowing that he is the explosive element.
Worm seems to be making the rounds in a variety of horror film fests, and has been generally well-received by both audience members and reviewers. After viewing it’s not difficult to see why. It’s a well constructed story, simply told, and provides a darkly humorous twist. We recommend taking the opportunity to check it out if you get the chance.
You can visit the official homepage to view the trailer and find out more about upcoming screenings.
