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Wild Iris Review

October 16, 2021 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz
Wild Iris Screenshot Credit: West 86 Films
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Wild Iris Review  

Wild Iris Review

Christopher Dell– John
Kristen Granet– Helen
Lainie Robertson– Iris
Craig Crolley– Security Guard

Directed by Christopher Dell
Screenplay by Christopher Dell

Runtime– 12 minutes 35 seconds

WildIrisImage

Wild Iris, written by, directed by, and starring Christopher Dell, is a nifty new short horror flick that’s about to go out into the world, first playing film festivals and then hitting online somewhere (YouTube maybe?). While it’s probably a tad too short (I would have liked to see it go on for another few minutes so the story can breathe a bit. I think it ends too abruptly), the short film is chock full of creepy atmosphere and has a terrific performance by star Dell.

Wild Iris has Dell as John, a distraught father desperately looking for his missing daughter Iris. When the short starts we see John driving to the hotel/apartment complex (I’m not entirely sure what it is. It could be either) where Iris was last seen. John is going there to meet with a psychic in the hopes that the clairvoyant can provide some sort of insight into what happened to Iris. After settling into the apartment/room, John goes outside and attempts to ask a security guard (Craig Crolley) about his missing daughter. The conversation doesn’t go well, with John swearing at the guard for not being able to answer any of his questions. The guard also tells John to leave, telling the distraught father that “nothing good can come from this place.”

So John goes back to the room and waits for the psychic. After experiencing multiple weird moments where the doorbell rings but no one is there and some sort of flashback (or maybe it’s a vision?) of Iris, the psychic (I think her name is Helen and is played by Kristen Granet) shows up and begins her “investigation.” The investigation doesn’t take very long (basically, Helen sits on the couch and write/draws/doodles some stuff on a clipboard) and John becomes pissed. Helen tells him that he has to be patient and that this will take time. She will be back tomorrow to continue.

Tomorrow? John needs answers now. Will he get them?

Well, sort of.

At about twelve and a half minutes, Wild Iris moves along at a steady clip and manages to build some nice suspense. The room John stays in/the room Iris apparently stayed in is weirdly unsettling. And when John attempts to ask the security guard some questions and flies off the handle within seconds you’re not quite sure where the story is going to go. Will the gun John puts in the dresser drawer underneath the TV come into play in the story? Will this psychic meeting actually lead to anything? And what’s the deal with the two flashbacks that John experiences?

And just as soon as you are on the edge of your seat the short film ends. Yes, the ending makes sense, but the short could have easily gone on for a few more minutes, mostly to make that final scene resonate even more than it does. I also would have liked to see a little more of John freaking out/trying to contain his emotions. He’s clearly been through a lot, he thinks he has a chance to get the answers he wants and needs, and then things don’t work out quite like he wanted them to. It’s a messed up situation that gets more messed up as it goes on. The movie would have benefitted from more of that.

Dell does an outstanding job playing a distraught father trying to find his missing daughter. And he will clearly do whatever it takes to get answers (I’m assuming that’s why he has the gun with him). But is that a good thing? Is he going to take things too far in his quest for answers and justice and whatnot? After the face to face with the security guard anything is possible with John. Anything. Is he going to be able to handle the truth? Great, heartfelt stuff. I also want to commend Dell for wearing a super yellow shirt and making it work. Yellow is such a hard color to pull off.

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I’m not sure when Wild Iris will be officially unleashed upon the film festival world, but it’s definitely something you should keep an eye out for. It’s weird and suspenseful and scary and a bit unsettling. That’s what you want in a horror flick.

See Wild Iris. See it, see it, see it.

So what do we have here?

Dead bodies: 1 (maybe)

Explosions: None.

Nudity?: None.

Doobage: A guy driving at night, a parking lot, a gun, old voice mails, medications, attempted friendly questions that turns ugly quickly, profanity, doorbell hooey, psychic bullshit, multiple flashbacks, attempted car driving, attempted cigar smoking, and an abrupt ending.

Kim Richards?: It depends on how you want to look at it.

Gratuitous: A news report on the car radio that helps explain the plot, luggage, a yellow shirt, security guard hooey, doorbell hooey, a psychic with a clipboard, and an abrupt ending.

Best lines: “Sir! Sir, I’ve got a question for you!,” “Just let me look at your fucking log!,” “I know nothing good can come from this place,” “Fucking piece of shit!,” “Do you think we’re going to find her?,” “Is she alone?,” “Oh, and John? It’s best to never do anything you might regret. What?,” and “I’ll kill you fuckers!”

9.0
The final score: review Amazing
The 411
Wild Iris, written by, directed by, and starring Christopher Dell, is a nifty new short horror flick that’s about to go out into the world, first playing film festivals and then hitting online somewhere (YouTube maybe?). It should be a bit longer than it is (I think the movie ends too abruptly), the short film is chock full of creepy atmosphere and has a terrific performance by star Dell. You should absolutely make an effort to see it when it comes to a film festival near you. See Wild Iris. See it, see it, see it.
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Wild Iris, Bryan Kristopowitz