When Alessandro Moreschi recorded “Ave Maria” in 1902, I don’t think he envisioned it being used in a disturbing short film over a hundred years later. Maybe he did, seeing as how he was castrated at the age of seven to sing for the Pope at the Basilica in Rome. That could possibly have been his inspiration for the song, I don’t know. What I do know is that Skip Shea has been inspired by the song to make this creepy little short that’s centered around it, so to speak.
The six-minute shorts opens with a record of Ave Maria being played in the woods. We pan out to see a woman videotaping her family (I’m assuming) preparing for a ritual. They’re wearing those plastic white masks that you see at party stores that send shivers up your spine. The ones where you can only see their eyes and faintly hear their breath. We seem them dangling what appears to be a clamp over a fire.
Take a look in the back and you see somebody tied to a chair. We only see their feet, with Skip wisely taking his time in revealing the captive. It turns out to be an older gentleman and that’s all the information we get. Near the end, we see his clothes burning in the fire, which gives us a sign as to who he was. Even so, we don’t know his relationship to this band of psychopaths and I prefer it that way. Not knowing why this event took place makes it all the more frightening.
One wonders what part “Ave Maria” plays in this. I assumed at first it was an intricate way of utilizing classical music in a disturbing setting. There’s something about what appears on the surface as joyous and/or eclectic music being played over disturbing horror that I find chillingly intoxicating. Same goes for church music. It just always gets me.
Skip provides us with information about “Ave Maria” near the end, which I mentioned at the beginning of the review. With that info, you should be able to piece together what atrocity is about to unfold. If not, be prepared to wince (especially if you’re a man). What’s nice about this is that Shea doesn’t rely and pain to frighten the audience. Most of the fear comes from the methodical build and unusual tone. This makes the payoff that more thrilling!
Final Verdict: See It