Most people would do anything to save the people they love. But what if doing so invited even bigger problems.
This is what happens in the atmospheric horror short “Who Goes There,” by Astrid Thorvaldsen. 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 next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
Three Norwegian sisters Ingrid, Liv, and Ada, live an isolated life on a prairie in Minnesota in the 1800s, where Ada is dying of an illness. Ingrid finds a mysterious stranger and invites him in, despite Liv’s protests. When that man is revealed to be a doctor, she lets him have a look at Ada, not knowing that she just brought a supernatural evil to their house.
Nina Yndis and Siri Meland as Ingrid and Liv in “Who Goes There?”
Trust No One
This is an atmospheric look at puritanical America in the colonial times, reminiscent of the movie The Witch. Like that one, it thrives off of a slow burning sense of dread, and a convincing period atmosphere.
Not a lot of scary things happen until the climax, but it still creates that dread through simply the idea that the stranger might not be trustworthy. Anybody who’s familiar with the horror genre would be forgiven for sharing in Liv’s distrust, despite there not being much evidence that he may not be who he says he is. But the tension reaches a boiling point near the end, when the audience finds out what he really is, and the sisters have to fight to survive.
The movie is also carried by good performances. The stars have chemistry with each other, and are believable as sisters.
What Makes It Killer?
“Who Goes There?” is a tense slow-burn demonic horror that benefits from its convincing setting and performances. And a good reminder to be careful who you ask for help.
Watch it below.
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