Inspired by the early films of John Carpenter and a particularly unnerving underpass the director walked through on his way to work, The Crossing is a Russian Horror with some impressive FX work and a haunting premise. Set in a subway late at night, Arseny Syuhin’s 7-minute short takes a recognisable, ubiquitous setting and toys with the fears we’ve all probably experienced using it, by making it the home of a blood-thirsty creature.
Shot in a real underpass over three nights, with the help of a Blackmagic camera, tripod and a production crew of just three people, though The Crossing features many tropes of the genre, this certainly doesn’t make it any less effective in the scares department.
Gripping and atmospheric throughout, though you know Syuhin’s film just isn’t going to end well, as a viewer it’s still unsettling, edge-of-your-seat stuff and if you’re anything like me, you’ll soon find yourself shouting words of advice (“LEAVE THE PHONE…LEAVE THE F*CKING PHONE!!”) to its hapless heroine.
Looking to introduce a new audience to the world of Russian horror, Syuhin is now working on what he describes as “several short exciting action films”, along with continuing to work as a ‘professional trailer editor’.