MOTHER DIED – Part 4 of the Bloody Cuts Anthology

Mother Died (2012)
Directed by: Bloody Cuts, Neill Gorton

Starring: Carol Storey, Sarah Winter

Bloody Cuts #4 – Mother Died
Directed by Neill Gorton
Starring  Sarah Winter and Carol Storey

MOTHER DIED, the fourth installment in the hit 13-part horror anthology, Bloody Cuts, was aptly released on Sunday 18th March 2012 to coincide with Mother’s Day in the UK. But this being a Bloody Cuts short film, it would be anything but sweetness and roses.

The short opens with a daughter (Sarah Winter) sitting by the bedside of her deceased mother (Carol Storey), saying her last goodbyes. The young woman narrates the short, telling us that her mother had died and how she had supported her fragile mother in the time of despair. The daghter reaches over to place a block of wood under her mother’s head and with a butcher’s knife firmly in her grip, she takes a deep breath and quickly chops off her head, just as we catch a glimpse of her mother’s fingers twitching. This raises suspicions in the viewers mind. We have what appears to be a pretty, gentle young woman yet she’s just hacked off her mother’s head even though her mother still seemed to have some life left in her. If you’re a horror fan, then you’ll guess where this is leading, but the execution of the story will inspire you and make you appreciate what you actually have.

The daughter continues to narrate as she makes her way into the garage where we spot the bodies of her father and brother lying under bloodstained white sheets. Winter’s is all alone now with all of her family deceased and butchered, but she sweetly tells us about how she and her father grew closer in the end days, how he had given her the courage to stand up tall and be the one to protect her loved ones. The daughter seems to take comfort from this.
After a nice soak in the bathtub, she slips into a beautiful dress and adorns herself in the most expensive, exquisite jewellery she owns. As we listen to her tale of courage and determination, you can feel the sadness and despair at loosing all that she has. However, she is not afraid and she knows exactly what to do and will ensure that she makes a difference, however small.

I never thought I’d say this about a horror but this is quite a beautiful short film, if not tragic with it. Sarah Winter is perfectly cast as the quiet daughter who’s summoned up the courage to take on the world despite loosing everyone she holds dear. Neill Gorton, in his directorial debut, has used narration to great effect, using Winter’s gentle voice to guide us through the story as well as disguising what the daughter is preparing for right up until the last moment.
I enjoyed the subtle use of quality CGI which opened the story up to a grand scale and reinforced the shocking ending. Likewise, the make-up effects were realistic and added an extra dimension to the characters, especially that of mother, who’s pale complexion gave me the shivers!

Horror comes in many guises and it’s the ones that we can connect to real life that are the scariest. I hark back to the fact this short was released on Mother’s Day and if there was ever a short that made you appreciate loved ones and the fact that you’re alive, then Mother Died is it. Another top class effort from Britain’s indie horror anthology.

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