Sometimes you just want to rock.
And few horror shorts rock as loud as “The Mages of Rage and The Desecration of The House of Mimicry,” by Jason Sheedy, whose script Bell Tower was a Killer Shorts Honorable Mention for season 3. This short 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 next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
A dim-witted punk rock group called The Mages of Rage comes together to film a music video at the home of Timmy Slit, a iconic punk guitarist who died under mysterious circumstances. But while they’re practicing, a mime barges in, trying to kill everybody involved with invisible weapons that actually do real world harm. Eventually, they realize they’re going to have to fight back with the mime’s one weakness: noise.
Chris Mayers as The Mime in “The Mages of Rage and The Desecration of The House of Mimicry”
We Will Never Die!
This is a very tongue-in-cheek horror comedy, that is often played for laughs. It is full of over-the-top scenarios and gore, but much of the laughs come from the protagonists themselves. They are as over-the-top as anything else here, and the dialogue is often the source of the humor.
But in between all the humor, violence, and punk rock, there is an actually unique and creative villain. The mime getup is more than just a gimmick here, but his weapon. He uses the standard mime act to summon up a deadly arsenal. Everything from the classic slasher weapons like an axe, to more destructive forces like machine guns and grenades. He also has an interesting backstory, and is portrayed with great charisma.
And his kill streak is told in service of a fast-paced, energetic story, where even the character introductions are done with dramatic flair. It features a fun cast of characters and nameless extras set to be killed in interesting ways. The final battle between the band and the mime is also really fun, especially if you like the kind of music that they play.
What Makes It Killer
Despite its long title, this should not be ignored by fans of horror-comedy. An epic battle between a loud punk band and forces that want to silence their music forever.
Watch it below.
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