User Reviews

"The Listening Dead" is a short in the style of silent films, with dialog being featured on its on screen rather than in subtitles or coming directly from the character's mouth. Also, it is in black and white. Not knowing what to expect, I saw it at a film festival in Chicago, and I'm rather glad I didn't use this fifteen minutes for a bathroom break.

The film opens with some interesting stop-motion animation of a wolf, reminding me of Tim Burton in his glory days... this would fit in perfectly between "Ed Wood", "Edward Scissorhands" and the like. And I mean that in the highest possible way of compliments. To be blunt, I was sold before it even got going.

The short is accompanied by a haunting piano score from star Peter Scriba, which fit the Gothic mood and is an excellent piece... in this film or anywhere, it would be powerful. And from there, we get the strong visuals of the "listening dead" and the "pork chop scene" (if shorts can have scenes). The only part I wasn't 100% on was the use of the white lines -- was this magic? Artistic expression? I didn't really get it, and my only concern was that it seemed to break from the time period I felt this picture was going for.

I do not know where you can get a copy of this short, but I think it would be appreciated by wide audiences, both horror fans and others. It's just simply a technical and artistic masterpiece, no bones about it. The people involved all have a strong future. The acting, directing, music... the sets, the animation... I mean, I'm hard pressed to point out a weak spot because this is how art should be done.

If my nephew were about to see it (I think he's too young for it, being just 12), he would ask me "How old is that?". He would think this movie is like 70 or 80 years old. That's what the movie feels like and that's what it tries to achieve. With no spoken dialog, it does feel like it's from another era ...

As you can see by my vote, I do think that it works and achieves it's goal. The story might not be something new, but the art, the direction, the lighting and the weirdness of the whole thing, will leave you wanting to see more. If it actually would work as a feature length movie? That's a whole other thing. It might, but it's better than it is how it is portrayed here. A wonderful short movie, with music and a creepy little story ...

I've pasted my official review, which will be up on www.dreadcentral.com soon, below.

"There are many roads that lead to Hollywood...even if you don't want to make a big studio picture. One of the options open to aspiring filmmakers is to make a short film that can serve as a calling card and put it on the festival circuit. Hopefully you will win awards and rack up enough recognition to get the support for your feature length piece. Sam Raimi and his buddies made a short and shopped it around to get their funding for Evil Dead though they skipped the festival route. Still, a short film can showcase a filmmaker's abilities and function as a yardstick by which possible financial backers can measure their talents.

In that regard, Phil Mucci has an awfully big yardstick. The New York native has worked with some big names -- recognizable names like The Killers, My Chemical Romance, and The Yeah Yeah Yeah's -- as a photographer and even did a commercial for Skechers. He's certainly got the chops, artistically speaking, to make a short film. But can he make a good HORROR short? Once again, the answer is a resounding yes. His debut project is titled The Listening Dead, and it is both deeply rooted in the classics and amazingly refreshing. (And more kudos to Phil & Co. for being able to pull them both off at the same time.)

The Listening Dead is the story of a pianist, his frustrated wife, and the lovely ghost who adores his music. Nigel is a hollow-eyed, pale-faced composer with an obsession over his latest piece of music. Karen (the stunning Karen Miller, a real beauty who's appeared in various magazines like Stuff and Maxim and played a small role in The Wedding Crashers) is his lovely wife, who's nearly driven to tearing her hair out by her husband's refusal to communicate or even acknowledge her. Stage veteran Sarah Hund plays the ethereal ghost who loves to dance to Nigel's music. Peter Scriba, who also composed the brilliant and haunting piano score for the short, plays Nigel with a deft hand (sorry for the bad pun). While he plays, his eyes are both haunted and frenetic. All of the actors, in fact, tell the story so evocatively through mere movement and facial expression. And they have to be because, did I mention?, The Listening Dead is a silent film.

That's right! No sound, except for Scriba's beautiful playing of course. The sparse dialogue is rendered, like the days of old, in curled script on a black background, a sort of title card between shots. That's not all that Mucci has done with this retro-fabulous piece of work. With the help of his director of photography (an amazing talent from Zagreb, Croatia, with the spectacular name Predrag Dubravcic) and his friend, model-maker Michael Houk, the short was lensed in the style of classics like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu. They've captured the sort of convex look of those older films. Or for you young-uns not familiar with movies from the 1920's (yes, they had film back then), the look is similar to Lestat's music videos from Queen of the Damned.

Truly, all the ladies and gentlemen involved in this flick are just disgustingly talented and creative. The story of Nigel's fixation on his music, Karen's abject aggravation and her actions in retaliation, and the ghost's revenge is conveyed so well and fluidly that despite its length, this movie is complete. And horror fans need have no fear; there are some deliciously dark corners in this story, some nasty tidbits on which to feast. These folks are no amateurs, and their professionalism and talent are apparent in every single frame of The Listening Dead. At first I thought there were some rough edits, but upon rewatching it, I felt that this was a part of the old-fashioned charm of the piece and that it fit right in with the feel.

Overall, I cannot rave enough about The Listening Dead, Phil, or…well, anyone who had anything to do with this little flick. The actors, the DP, the producer, and please let's not forget effects supervisor Michael Houk, whose miniature is breathtaking. These folks are a class act all around. And it's beyond apparent that not only is Phil a horror fan, he's a horror phenom. My only complaint about The Listening Dead is that it's only 14 minutes long. I was having such a ripping good time I didn't want it to end. Lucky for me, and anyone else who sees it and loves it as much as I do, Phil plans on releasing the DVD next year with an accompanying behind-the-scenes documentary.

The movie is evocative, unsettling, and creepy. One piano piece literally gave me chills (you'll know what I mean if you see the flick or watch the trailer). And it looks amazing. The Listening Dead holds horror's past, and also its future, firmly in its grasp. I hope and pray that Phil and his production company, The Hive, Inc., stick close to their horror roots and bring us fans many more nasty little treats in the future. Because there's no doubt horror could use more movies like this. It's enchanting and unnerving, barbaric and beautiful. Hell, it's just damn good.

If there's a horror fest near you, check to see if they're showing The Listening Dead. And if they are, GO SEE IT. It's 14 minutes you won't regret."