BEATRICE + DANTE (2023)

There remains plenty of experimental, artistically intriguing horror shorts out there that aren’t just exercises in well-timed jumpscares or DIY gore F/X. Case in point, BEATRICE + DANTE from writer/director Ama Lea. Having no budget, using no crew and just a barebones (pun intended) cast, Lea is able to make a visually arresting six-minute short that also is able to retell a whole bunch of Dante’s Inferno (albeit with no Virgil and a slightly different ending).

As the synopsis reads:

An experimental black light short film retelling of Dante's Inferno following Beatrice as she roams the depths of hell to find her lost love.

It’s fun that the short manages to reference Dante while also seemingly nodding to HELLRAISER, THE MONSTER CLUB, FORBIDDEN ZONE, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and more. On a related note, here’s also not enough use of black light in film these days—outside of some moments in Laika productions and WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR. Step up, filmmakers!

The short stars Vanessa Decker, Richard Morales, Kiersten Thomsen, and Victoria Venin. Editing and VFX by Brandon Scullion, with make-up by Ariel Whitman. Ama Lea wrote and directed, along with handling the camera, production design, and costumes.

If you like this short, be sure to subscribe to Midnight Company’s YouTube channel and follow Ama Lea on Twitter.