What it Takes Review

What it Takes is a 2020 horror noir film from BloodScribe Creations directed by DJ Remark and written by Jason Orr.

What it Takes sets it’s noir tone right from the start and does not lose a beat throughout. It was an official submission to the 2020 Fright Film Competition where it won for Best Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Score, and Special Effects. As you sit down to watch it is easy to see why.

Jack Miller delivers great cinematography that is amazingly integrated during the “interview,” process that anchors the short. This is the part of the short we spend the most time with and is easily my favorite part.

All the acting is great from Vincent Sarowatz, Angelia Green, and Samantha Sather. Within the bounds of a story using vampiric overtones, it is easy for things to become ham-fisted or cliché rather quickly. However, Remark and his team obviously have a lot of love for the genre, giving the piece the care to never go into any silly territory at all.

I was most impressed with the special effects and makeup used. They are both not heavy handed and used subtly but when they are incorporated, they shine brightly. I had a very genuine “whoa,” moment at ten minutes in.

It is also a very layered piece. The screenplay by Jason Orr gives us detailed and layered characters I only wanted to spend more time with. I can always appreciate characters that have depth in them and embrace it all the more in a short form package such as this.

Overall, my opinion on What it Takes is to give it a good watch. It is a film made by lovers of horror who truly care about the genre they are working in. I can only hope they continue creating bigger stories with the unique sensibilities they are bringing to the table.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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