The copyright on Walt Disney’s first classic short has expired at the beginning of this year. Which means that the version of Mickey Mouse used in it could be used by anybody in any other original piece of art without permission from Disney.
Shortly after this, the internet was flooded with announcements and trailers of many low budget horror movies and games that would feature the mouse. However, the response has been pretty lukewarm after the critical disappointment of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a horror movie that was made to cash in on Winnie the Pooh recently entering public domain. Many look upon this trend as a cynical and disingenuous, but there are some people who are actually trying to take this into more interesting directions than a simple slasher movie.
Today we will be talking about the analogue horror short “The Vanishing of S.S. Willie,” by Nick Lives. It is now streaming on the director’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
In 1928, a short documentary was made about the mysterious disappearance of a steamship called the S.S. Willie, but before it could release, it was believed to have been destroyed in a fire. But, almost a century later, a copy has been found. It shows new found details about the unexplained event, including the eerie behavior of a cabin boy, and reports of crew members hearing strange music on board.
Shot from “The Vanishing of S.S. Willie”
All Aboard!
Rather than simply putting the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse as the villain of a slasher movie that otherwise has nothing to do with him, this short actually borrows heavily from the plot of the source material. It is unclear what happened on board that ship, but it’s heavily implied that it’s some demented version of the events of Steamboat Willie.
This was probably made on a very low budget. But it puts that budget to good use. It doesn’t need to worry about paying for the best actors and effects, because of its unconventional and limited style. It is told as a silent film that only shows documents and pictures of the event. Its plot is told entirely with these pictures and title cards.
Like the original, this is still told in a world of talking animals. The pictures of the victims are realistic looking and even a little unsettling. It also has a very unsettling sound design, particularly near the end.
But what really makes it creepy is how vague the story is. It is never revealed what happened, so it is left up to the imagination to put the pieces together. This uncertainty is as uncomfortable as any of the details that are actually shown.
What Makes It Killer?
This is an inventive reimagining of a classic animation, that just happened to be released at the most opportune time. A creepy faux-documentary that makes its premise more than just a gimmick.
Watch it below.
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