L. Gustavo Cooper is a name you're going to want to remember, and a distinct and exciting voice on the indie horror film scene. With several short films under his belt, two features (The Devil Incarnate and June), work on the V/H/S television series, as well as some terrific editing skills (full disclosure: he edit the trailer for my recent short film), Cooper has been coming up the ranks for a while. Now, you can check out his most recent short film, Amy. It's played at festivals around the world, including Fantasia, Ithaca Fantastik, Overlook (where it won Scariest Short) and Brooklyn Horror (where it won Best Cinematography).
At a residence, Mary cares for numerous sick and ailing guests, including the young Amy. Delivering refreshments to relieve her guests during the Summer heat, Mary warns Amy not to venture from her room at night, lest she disturb the other guests. Wracked with pain, Amy ignores the warning and leaves her room - discovering that her host has been keeping a dark, deadly secret from her guests.
Amy is one of my favourites kinds of short films, indeed the one we should all strive to make: take a straightforward premise, make short work of exposition, get to the point, and get out, leaving your audience, in this case, rattled and afraid. The lead performance by Rebekah Kennedy is indeed terrifying and painful to watch (in the best way). The terrific script is written by Peter Cilella, star of Resolution, and with his source, Cooper creates an incredible atmosphere of fear and anticipation.
So find a dark corner to watch Amy for yourself.