Watch: Tech Horror Romance Short ‘Cautionary Tale’ from J.L. Topkis
by Alex Billington
February 14, 2023
Source: YouTube
“Ever wonder what love does to a memory? How about what a memory does to love?” Check out this new Valentine’s Day romance horror short if you’re in the mood for something a bit scary. Cautionary Tale is a 15-min short made by up-and-coming filmmaker J.L. Topkis and it is, well, a cautionary tale about being addicted to your phone. Starring Larkin Bell and Carlie Young, with an innovative glitch art editing style by Scott Morris (you have to watch to understand what this means). Text messages from beyond the grave reshape a woman’s life by warning her whenever she’s done something for the last time. This goes hand-in-hand with the trailer that also debuted on the same day for Love Again, about a woman who texts her dead fiance. What an eerie coincidence! This is a pretty trippy short, the editing is a bit jarring at first but it turns into something quite creative, almost like time travel horror. I appreciate the ambition – it’s worth a watch.
Thanks to Heart Beat Prod. for the tip on this one. Brief intro via YouTube: “Text messages from beyond the grave reshape a woman’s life by warning her whenever she’s done something for the last time.” Cautionary Tale is written and directed by filmmaker J.L. Topkis – originally from Park City, UT now making films in Los Angeles, you can find more of his videos on his YouTube. Topkis says the film “started as a potentially unwatchable experiment and turned into the most inspiring filmmaking experience I’ve had in a long time.” The short has as many scenes and locations as a feature film, but uses “cubist editing” to tell the story. “This is my attempt to describe the bombardment of information that comes from being too close to your phone.” Produced by Marissa Cattell, J.L. Topkis, and Larkin Bell. It’s edited by Scott Morris, and features music by Kush Mody. For more details on the film, visit YouTube. To discover more shorts, click here. Your thoughts?
