Many of the men and women who fight in the army come back from duty in worse condition than when they started. For many of them, they come back with life-altering injuries, such as missing limbs. While many others instead come back with trauma and PTSD. And the titular soldier in this short comes back with something else entirely.
He is the subject of “Robbie Ain’t Right No More,” by Kyle Perritt. It is now streaming on Alter’s YouTube channel, and you can also watch it at the end of this article. It might inspire you to get your own script ready for the current Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
Robbie comes back to his family after serving in the Marines. But he isn’t the same as he once was. He’s disillusioned with life. He has a massive scar that looks to have come from a wound that should have definitely killed him, but it appears to have healed at a miraculous rate. And when he’s asked about being discharged, he says his superiors just let him go home without any paperwork.
After dinner, he runs off to the shed. His sister follows him there to see that he brought something else home with him. Something he needs to tear out of his body.
Madeline McGraw and Jadon Cal as Sarah and Robbie in “Robbie Ain’t Right No More”
Returning Home
At its heart, this short is an allegory for the horrors of war that follow soldiers home. The memories of things that they have done. Images of horrific things they’ve seen. At first, directly, with him showing his scars in addition to his darker outlook on life (“We all tend to look the same… on the inside.”) But then the scene situation starts to get more bizarre and inexplicable, until it turns into full-on body horror.
And this is cemented by a strong performance by Jadon Cal as Robbie, who captures the pain and disillusionment his character needs in the quieter parts, as well as the emotional intensity needed for the climax. As well as other strong performances, including Madeline McGraw as his caring sister.
A visit from the Marines near the end also does a great job of summarizing the governments apathy for his suffering. And the heavy implication that they had something to do with whatever is happening to him, in addition to emphasizing that it is their wars that ruin soldiers, also adds an interesting level of conspiracy to it. It taps into the same fear of the government that has fueled media like The X-Files. The fact that we never find out exactly what was happening to Robbie only makes it more disturbing.
And even without all that it serves as a creepy slow-burn body horror. The score and atmosphere all create a feeling of tension, and the actors performances sell the terror.
What Makes It Killer?
This short is a very effective horror film that is also a good analogy for war and PTSD. When they say Robbie ain’t right no more, they truly mean it.
Watch it below.
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