One of my personal favorite horror films of 2012 was Richard Bates Jr.'s debut feature 'Excision.' Back then, I was able to interview the writer/director over on Icons Of Fright to get a bit more insight into this strangely unique and wonderful odd film. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the story initially started out as a short film before becoming a feature. It's not uncommon for stellar shorts to be turned into full length films. In fact, just a few months back, fellow FEARNET scribe John Squires wrote a piece showcasing 10 horror films that originated as short films. And now, the filmmaker just tweeted a link to a You Tube page housing the long coveted short, which you can watch for yourself below.
The story of 'Excision,' both for the short & feature centers around the highly intelligent yet mildly disturbed Pauline, a teen who obsesses over an eventual career in surgery and who is plagued by strange erotic nightmares of the macabre. There's a disconnect between her parents and peers, but she loves her ailing little sister more than anything. And she will do anything to "fix" her. If you haven't seen the feature length film yet, I'd avoid seeing the short below until after since the short carries a lot of the same major beats, including the ending. But if you've seen the movie, it's worth it to carve out 18 minutes to see the blue-print for where it all came from.
What do you think of the original short film that inspired 'Exicison?' Read Scott Weinberg's FEARNET review of 'Excision.' And stay tuned. Richard Bates Jr. just wrapped on his follow up film 'Suburban Gothic!' We'll keep you posted as soon as we hear more!