Scary Endings: The Water Rises FILM REVIEW

SCARY ENDINGS is a web series where filmmakers come together to make short films which deliver thrills, chills and screams. The films are lean and mean and are often quite funny or genuinely unnerving. Their spooky stories have dealt with the supernatural, clowns, monsters, politics and even Santa Claus himself. Besides the sly sense of humor and unsettling creepiness the one thing these films have in common is they all must have a zinger of an ending; hence the name of the series. Being this is a horror film series one would not be mistaken to assume that all episodes will have traditional horror themes. Up until this point the series has done just that. Now in its second season, writer-director John Fitzpatrick has possibly made one of the series' most horrifying films not because it's about the supernatural but because it's about a scenario that is all too plausible, all too real and all too terrifying to contemplate. THE WATER RISES follows a couple who are stuck in the elevator of a sinking cruise ship.

Okay, okay, I hear you. We've seen countless disasters at sea movies over the last century plus of cinema. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and, of course, TITANIC are likely the ones that immediately come to mind. What's the big deal? Well for one those a big budget Hollywood disaster epics. This film was made on a shoe-string budget, filmed in a backyard pool and it's full of ingenuity and packs genuine drama. THE WATER RISES feels like it was just one subplot lifted from a larger story about a disaster at sea.

A behind the scenes shot of Kaitlin Doubleday filming in a pool for SCARY ENDINGS: THE WATER RISES.

The film stars Kaitlin Doubleday and Adam J. Yeend as Jennifer and Matt. They both deliver strong performances and effectively convey the gravity of their predicament. It's not difficult to put oneself in their shoes. Many things will run through one's mind as one stops to assess things and what the characters do here are very likely what one may actually think which adds to the film's realism. They both effectively convey the fear and emotion that arises from their dire situation.

Fitzpatrick, who has thus far directed every episode in the series, has pulled off what must have been his most complex short film to date. After watching a behind the scenes piece one can truly appreciate the work that went into making the film what it is. Fitzpatrick is one of the producers behind the series and it was a bold choice for them to make a film which eschews elements that this series is best known for. The film is assuredly directed, well acted and tightly edited by Brian Chandler.

THE WATER RISES brings an unflinching level of real life horror to a traditional horror web series. It's okay to go into this short thinking all the horrific possibilities that could happen but of course there's no way I'm going to tell you what actually happens. You just have to sit back and watch for yourself.

Check out the SCARY ENDINGS YouTube channel by clicking here. Be sure to subscribe and watch all the films in the series including the one below.

SCARY ENDINGS SEASON 2 EPISODE 3: THE WATER RISES

BEHIND THE SCENES OF SCARY ENDINGS SEASON 2 EPISODE 3: THE WATER RISES

**** Stars

THE WATER RISES

Director: John Fitzpatrick

Screenplay: John Fitzpatrick

Starring: Kaitlin Doubleday, Adam J. Yeend, Cerina Vincent, Ryan Dillon

Unrated

Running Time: 5 minutes

Rating Scale:

***** = Outstanding ****1/2 = Excellent **** = Very Good ***1/2 = Above Average