Open Wide: Review. By Simon Thompson

Director/co-writer Sam Fox’s short Open Wide is an assured, funny, and beautifully shot piece of work which deftly balances both over the top comedy with startling horror across its ten minute running time. Open Wide is a short which wears its influences on its sleeve, but at no point does it ever feel derivative.

Set entirely in one location, Open Wide follows Phoebe (Lara Repko), a repressed Catholic, who, wanting to branch out, decides to have a threesome with a husband and wife named Vera and Ron (Ashley Smith and Ethan Daniel Corbett). Vera and Ron, without going too much into spoiler territory, have some interests which are as far out of Phoebe’s comfort zone as could possibly get, leading to a previously relaxing evening taking a very dark turn. 

The cinematography of Open Wide is a joy to look at. Fox’s use of a bright retro 1970s style aesthetic at the start of the short featuring many warm reds and bright light, then switching the visuals to darkness once the narrative turning point happens is a simple yet effective way of creating atmosphere. The sound design and juxtaposition of the mundane house and the surreal imagery are an obvious nod to the works of David Lynch in this case specifically Twin Peaks,but not to the detriment of the narrative’s originality.

The fact that so much of the horror in Open Wide is ambiguous creates a palpable sense of dread that wouldn’t be achievable through simply showing the audience the various gritty details in full view. The camera moving from steady to being constantly shaken around during the final sequence to convey the danger of Phoebe’s situation is another deft touch which shows Fox’s skill as a director. 

The acting across the board is top notch as well. Lara Repko does a solid job of conveying Phoebe’s repressed nature to the audience, Ethan Daniel Corbett gives a nice Swiss Toni via Disco Stu from The Simpsons inspired turn as Ethan, fully leaning into his ridiculous nature, and Ashley Smith is fantastically creepy as Vera, completely wrong-footing your initial impressions of her as a character.

Overall, Open Wide is a first rate horror-comedy skilfully crafted and brimming with imagination. In ten minutes Fox manages to tell both a complete three act story and yet still leave you wanting more.

---

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.

---

Trending on BRWC:

---

Cool Posts From Around the Web:

---

---