We all have our baggage. Like the man that this woman literally carries around in a suitcase.
Today, we’re talking about the vampire horror short “Rick and Ruby” by Scott Chester Woodburn. 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 a script ready for the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
Ruby is on a cross country trip and stops at a bar in the middle of nowhere. Things get heated between her and the other patrons, and just when things are about to get really ugly, a man comes out of her suitcase. This is Rick, a man who is deathly allergic to the sun, has a thirst for blood, and wants revenge on the person who gave him both of those things. As things continue to escalate, it will all culminate in an epic bloody fight.
Trouble in a Roadside Bar
This short starts out simply enough with Ruby walking into a dive bar full of hillbillies. Actress Ellie Lee gives her a hard-boiled, badass attitude, that makes it completely believable that she can take on these men, when they get in her face. Just when the conflict gets to a point where it becomes uncomfortable for the audience (admittedly maybe a little too uncomfortable for what is otherwise a light-hearted camp-fest), Rick comes in and adds some much needed humor.
Rick is a very charismatic presence. Samuel Dunning, who also wrote and produced this movie, delivers an over-the-top yet somehow casual performance that is always fun to watch. Everything from his demeanor to his tacky clothing clashes with the environment to great effect.
And then once the two start to fight together, it is an all-out assault of campy gore. It relishes in action and the sight of scumbags getting gruesome comeuppance.
This feels like a sort of proof of concept for something bigger, describing their goal to get revenge, but not giving it any conclusion. It feels like just a minor adventure in their journey. But it is the kind of thing that I would personally want to see more of.
In Conclusion
Rick and Ruby is a fun, action-filled, gory, funny ride. It’ll make you think twice before messing with a woman with a suitcase big enough to fit a man.
Watch it below.
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