This is How Movies Should Be Made

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

A man is wowed to have been given an old-fashioned Jack-in-the-box for free by a mysterious old lady, while his pretty blonde buxom wife is immediately creeped out by the thing and wants nothing to do with it. Soon after they go to bed and late in the night the man is awakened by the sound of something scuttling around the house. He heads downstairs and hears the cheery box's tune which almost seems to beckon him. He approaches it and abruptly vanishes in a big splatter of gore as something unseen and monstrous emerges from the box and drags him inside. Wifey soon comes looking for him and the box begins to play for her, and as she steps closer it springs open with one ghastly surprise that she'll never forget! It's a cool short but I must say it's been overrated. I liked it, it's very well presented and has a good spooky atmosphere and a suspenseful buildup to the guy being eaten alive and it goes out on a good scary macabre sight gag, but it's still hardly the most complex or disturbing horror short ever. It's a very straightforward start-to-finish jump-scare story and that's fine, but there are superior horror shorts out there, like the excellent "Terrifier" by Damien Leone to name but one. And this wasn't particularly representative of any old school horror to me, the only thing that did strongly remind me of something that I'd seen before was how the box was similar to the one from Demonic Toys, only that one was a lot more creepy! I wish in the part where the guy can hear something and he almost steps on the doll they could have shown the little clown from the empty box running around the floor or something, and they definitely should've shown some kind of giant monster clown chomping on the him for a moment, and at the end, when it shows the harmless-looking cute clown of the box, it should have winked! It would have made the fear factor of the short more effective.. It's a little short on content and feels a bit truncated and rushed, but this is a nice eerie little short that makes great use of a classic spooky plot device. And like a good horror movie, you kind of know how it's going to end up...but you love to watch anyway just to see how it's all gonna go down!

"Slash-in-the-Box" is a 5-minute short film from five years ago that was written and directed by Nick Everhart. It shows us the life of a couple and what happens when the man brings home a jack-in-the-box for whatever reason. Apparently, the little cube is cursed or something, or possessed with an evil spirit as it certainly has a life on its own and keeps wreaking havoc. It is a mix of comedy and horror, but I personally felt it does not turn out convincingly in either of these two areas. Plus the female actress was pretty bad and I wonder if she had any purpose really other than showing us her great looks and curves in her night outfit. The guy is slightly better, but also far from good enough to carry this little movie. I hope Everhart managed to improve in the five years since this was made, otherwise I cannot foresee a great character for him in the industry. As for this one here, I do not recommend the watch.

I hated the Jack-In-The Box as a Kid! This is another reason why! Thanks Again to Nick Everhart for the Nightmares Once More!Nick takes you to the dark-place and leaves you there to die! I originally thought this would be awesome as a full length movie. However,Nick goes right for your throat and rips off your head w/out the filler. Actually, it is very Hitchcock meets Stephen King. Alfred Hitchcock with the build of suspense and little blood. Stephen King(ish) taking the simpler things that everyone can relate to and turns it up and out! It is Best Watched Alone, Lights Off and Doors Locked if you dare!I Hate the Jack-in-the-Box! I Love Slash-in-the-Box! And I Hate Nick Everhart for having me revisit my Childhood Nightmares! It is a must view for every horror fan!

This is definitely one of the higher quality film-shorts that I have seen in a long time. Very well done with a professional polish and it actually got me a couple of times. Great editing, HD quality, and creepy camera angles help make Slash-In-The-Box stand out from other random run-of-the mill shorts.I especially enjoyed the "mirror" sequence, that one definitely gave me a start. While I felt the "mess" left behind from the first victim (trying to avoid any real spoilers here) was a bit over the top, it certainly didn't take anything away.If you're looking for something a little different that dishes up some clever fun with an old toy, then be sure and take a few minutes out of your day to give this one a watch.