PRAY -- Lovecraftian sci-fi Horror short film

A woman embarks on a journey through a restricted wasteland to find her missing sister, only to become trapped by something sinister lurking deep within; a God-monster she cannot escape from.
Starring Pragya Shail and Zack Lemieux
Inspired by a terrifying vivid nightmare.
A short film by ANDREW DUNLOP.
Made for and first screened at the 2022 Digi60 Ottawa Filmmakers Film Festival.
www.digi60.org/2022-festival-p...
1984creative.ca
© 2022 by 1984.

[@1984CreativeFilms]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the comments and feedback, both the positive and the critical! I should have prefaced that this film was made as part of a 60 day film challenge. I had only two months and $200 to write, cast, shoot, edit and deliver it; at 7 minutes or less, with a crew of 1 (me). I could have gone back and fixed anything I wanted for a "director's cut" but I try to be forward-thinking and so I use this as a learning experience -- I played around with effects and techniques I've never attempted before. I know my VFX aren't at the 'Scorpion King' level yet, but I can't wait to show you what I've got coming. Thanks for watching :)

[@TalesOfMythAndMayhem]

Very well done, mate!

[@MrSarollia]

Well done working under the limitations that you described. Be very interested in what comes next. I feel that we will be hearing from you again esp. in the longer formats.

[@Rendezman562]

great job regardless, don't mind the negative nellies, people are always quick to critique without knowing the film's back story.

[@accountantintraining4752]

Well, that will be $1000's more.

[@0penthaughtz]

I like the driver saying he Waits, because he would want someone to wait for him; what a great little detail it really adds to his character.

[@chriscooper654]

Nicely done. The horror is compounded by the implication that the entity itself is just the servant or facilitator of something far, far worse.

[@andymackie8283]

The Runners are the servants of the servants

[@charliedogg7683]

You really tap into the essence of HPL's cosmic horror, very well done.

[@sango754]

The cgi was pretty bad, but everything else was fantastic and the concept was horrifying. Truly Lovecraftian.

[@Rendezman562]

it was a short homemade film, give them a break, sheesh

[@thecosmiclovecraftian]

CGi not great .... but acting was decent , the Fx at the end were decent enough and the overall concept and reveal at the end was truly terrifying ... love it

[@anr5525]

understandably for the cgi to not be that good but the concept on itself is hella good

[@sheldorleconcher8870]

This was genuinely unsettling. Loved it!

[@000aleph]

I love this story. What waits at the end of the journey is truly horrifying. What I don't like is the unconvincing CGI nature of the other victims. Clues to the interpretation of the cosmic horror are given by the caption at 7:18, which says "me too" 😉

[@w4shep]

This is an amazing horror movie! Talk about hitting a home run - this really stayed with me after watching it. It was the flies buzzing around the man's head. Just the thought of standing until your body rots. Immobile. The worst part - you are trapped in your own hell. Whew.

[@vaasnaad]

DAMN! That ending was absolutely horrific! Good job!

[@NoName-ym5zj]

Despite wacky VFX i like the concept.

[@marcuswall8852]

Nice work guys! Really enjoyed the scene when she was standing in the darkness with that monster, great and unique stuff 👍👍

[@VictorReynolds]

Great story! Interesting how the woman scoffed at the driver’s warning at her own peril.

[@janetsminten8196]

Modern women think they're invincible

[@JoeDirtisawsome]

@@janetsminten8196 what does this have to do with modern women. Men do the same thing. lots of men ignore other people's advice

[@danlonick800]

Wow.. this is fantastic. So well done on every level. Really gives the eerie vibe. 👌

[@tonydabaloney]

A truly heartwarming motion picture for the whole family! Who would keep going after the first or second fly ridden body? Stupid people deserve stupid prizes!😂😂😂🎉

[@kurtweiand7086]

Andrew, very good job. Miss shail did a fantastic job of acting, she literally made it happen for you!

[@hansdascher2574]

Exceptionally pretty and talented actress. Great work, Pragya!😘

[@blahblahpocalyspe8323]

Some unintentionally comedy vibes... The Driver laying it on way to thick. The passing scenery in the car sometimes has the car going sideways. The cgi people and monster definitely has this in the same universe as Birdemic. Maybe revisited this could be a cool story.

[@oxymoron02]

I'm glad I'm not the only one to pick up on the guy's acting. The VFX I can give a pass for indie productions, given they may not have the best software or the best hardware to render out, but bad acting is always going to be bad acting.

[@zackl4056]

Was a pleasure working with you!

[@TruthSurge]

I can't with that green screen car driving.looks like 240p scrolling past.

[@rashidjurgens9992]

those cgi bodies in the forest killed me inside. such a good plot. Ruined. lovecraft rolling in his grave seeing that cgi

[@BLACKALIEN2000]

Excellent Concept loved it❤

[@blessedlife8687]

Wow! That actually scared me, and it is REALLY hard to scare me! Well done!! Loved it!

[@MawGinBoo]

Not bad. The protagonist has to be the dumbest person ever to keep walking past the first person. Also, how would the driver have heard stories if no one ever comes back to say what they saw?

[@paulcoy9060]

The drivers have got to be in on it. He says there are more drivers, "runners". And how do you make sure someone does something? Tell them they shouldn't do it, classic psychology. But yeah, after the first corpse, I'd go back.

[@bennyblanco14]

Im not gonna lie, at first i thought it was cheesy. The effects were kinda bad. Even up to the point when begins to walk in tge forest but, omg, WOW.. THATS WHEN IT WENT CHEESY TO WHAT THE FUCK!!! this would be a great horror movie .. great job, hats off to everyone involved in this exciting short horror 👏

[@jackhills2440]

Topflight! If only she had stopped and turned around at the first feeling of its power. Personally I woulda turned and ran long before that.

[@timbrown4853]

This was awesome...another new and interesting story that needs to me made into a full-length movie.

[@basha8313]

This was really scary. I cant stop thinking about it.😮

[@Draverro]

Strong inspiration by Tanis?

[@johnmichaelarnaud]

The idea of this was really nice, but it would have been great to have had a little more pronounced (i.e., any) reaction to seeing those disturbing frozen folks in the forest.

[@oxymoron02]

I thought the same. She moves 0ast them like she's seen them before, or was expecting them, yet we get no hint that she's aware of their existence or the implications thereof.

[@A_Stereotypical_Guy]

Practical effects would have served you well in this film

[@blakepooler]

That car ride at first, out the driver window

[@thomaslabantt6625]

Omg amazing please make more that was a trip great work

[@jay8387]

Outstanding.

[@oxymoron02]

Oof that guy driving at the start is hamming it up a bit.

[@Malbeefance]

If no one comes back, how'd he hear the stories?

[@krisblouch2750]

nice work

[@pedrogonzalocaballerotorre409]

Respira la atmósfera de horror de los cuentos de Lovecraft. Gracias

[@nelrodriguez7439]

Nice

[@jeffreyharnden7523]

Some very serious ary stuff great great work.

[@offdutyenglishmajor9924]

How does the runner know all of this stuff if no one comes back?

[@kareneastman9695]

EEEWWW! There is more than one dead zomperson there?Whaaaaat??😲I'd just turn around and walk/run away after seeing the second standing Figure there.

[@victorchanux]

banished to a dark oblivion...ouch!!...guess you shoulda stayed in the car.

[@D.Z.A.-kp8lf]

I love people who don't listen

[@janthony721]

nice.

[@roycairns9357]

Intergalactic flytrap? 😮

[@markbigelow2608]

Very good effort!

[@WitchDoctorLarry]

So... you basically get turned into bad CGI by this entity? That is one creative horrible death.

[@kareneastman9695]

Poor woman and other people .Mostly her.There's now smal, time window where anyone can just nope that,turn and just leave?

[@katelaloba8243]

Hey. This was really good. Thanks

[@GoddessTier]

Quite disturbing. I almost wish I hadn't watched it! Yikes.

[@Gary-zq3pz]

Gimme that OLD TIME RELIGION.....

[@immanutt4442]

1984 ... David Bowie song

[@janavaculikova1735]

Prey

[@dickdastardly5534]

Well it was no teddy bears picnic for definite 😱

[@warriorofthecross777]

What is that God? I want to know more about that entity...

[@jankoval]

That was awesome! When I typed "cosmic horror story" in the yt search bar, this is what I hoped to find.

[@westonreisch7794]

Seriously one of the absolute BEST horror short films I've seen. It's not easy to find such a one so entertaining and scary as this one! 😲😁

[@scetchport]

Why isn't the driver moving the steering wheel on the car???? Bad mistake. Could CRASH !!!!

[@kissdakittycat84]

The CGI Guy was cheesy AF 😂. I think if they used a REAL Person with some extra makeup, (like at the End) it would have been WAY BETTER. Plus, the "Seeker's" "Floating" at the end was lacking in believability. It really hit me like a Student film. A REALLY GOOD Student Film.. but a Student Film nonetheless. Still Spooky tho 👍..

[@a.bettik8698]

Very well done, [Spoiler alert] only the last figure is a bit goofy, all the rest is super great (the introduction, the corpses, the figure in the cliff etc). Which Great Old One or Exterior God is that, do you reckon ?

[@oxymoron02]

The corpses in the forest aren't a strong point, admittedly. The rest of what you said holds true, though!

[@rashidjurgens9992]

tharizdun, it casted them into the infinite abyss.

[@andyf4292]

it's Truename is Dave.... everyone knows a Dave

[@janavaculikova1735]

Jana Vaculíková

[@riverotter68]

I pray that one day, I can meet a woman as beautiful as Pragya Shail

[@soulreaver1983]

Outstanding 😎👍👍

[@devandismuke8355]

“I’m coming back “ No you’re not. You’re the protagonist of a lovecraftian horror short. Your chance of surviving this was practically shit.

[@janavaculikova1735]

Devil hrom

[@maxscherzer9521]

The dialogue is extremely clunky, I'm sorry. CGI humans were a mistake, even the cheapest practical effect would have been better. Extremely Lovecraftian concept, would like to see the director take another crack at it.

[@DeadPixel1105]

Cool concept ruined by the horrendous special effects. In the future, when you have more budget and special effects experience, a remake of this would definitely be awesome.

[@johnscilleto]

Oh come on... The cheesy effects ruin it. Could've easily had extras do it with makeup and the rest would be fine!

[@patriklindholm7576]

This was some poorly implemented attempt on CGI. Considering today's software and even stock this is not by far impressive. Whiners: at least I'm honest.

[@stinkyelk986]

I didnt like any of it. Acting was just ok, the cgi was terrible, the acting was just ok. I didnt feel anything other than annoyed and bored. Sorry.

[@Jessie_James850]

Nice