Reviwe of the short film ''Possibly in Michigan''(1983)

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If you enjoy horror films that go beyond jump scares and really mess with your mind, Possibly in Michigan, a 1983 short film, is a great pick. Directed by John Hancock, this film doesn’t follow the traditional 80s horror formula of monsters and gore. Here, the focus is on building mental tension that grows and leaves you feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

 NOTICE : As far as I could find, the film is only available in English. However, subtitled versions are available, making it easier for non-English speakers to catch the nuances in the dialogue. Missing those details might hurt the experience, so it’s something to keep in mind.

🩸 SPOILER WARNING 🩸

The story is pretty simple, and even though it’s a low-budget short, it’s very intriguing: the protagonist already knows her boyfriend is a serial cannibal. What the film does brilliantly is to show, in a cold and direct way, how this toxic and dangerous relationship plays out. Throughout the short, we see how this woman’s love for such a monstrous man is both destructive and, at the same time, oddly seductive. The film doesn’t focus on the grotesque details of cannibalism, but instead on its emotional and psychological impact.

It’s a story that makes you reflect on how easy it is to ignore the signs of a toxic relationship until it has taken on a much scarier form.

What impressed me most about Possibly in Michigan is how it breaks away from the usual conventions of 80s horror. While many films of that era relied on graphic scenes and bloody monsters, this one focuses on creating an atmosphere of emotional tension, playing on the fear of the unknown or, more precisely, the fear of what’s right in front of us but we refuse to see. The film explores the protagonist’s inner terror, as she already knows what he is, but still tries to understand and deal with this relationship, which is, at its core, already a nightmare.

The protagonist’s performance is another highlight. She perfectly conveys the shock, anguish, and internal struggle of someone trapped in a relationship where love is intertwined with fear. Her portrayal brings out a much more personal and real kind of horror the type of fear we all can feel when we realize we’re stuck in something far more dangerous than we imagined.

🩸 END OF SPOILERS 🩸

In the end, Possibly in Michigan is a short film that will appeal to anyone who enjoys deeper psychological horror, far from the clichés of monsters and gore. If you’re looking for a film that makes you reflect on the darker aspects of human relationships and how love can be terrifying, this is an excellent choice. It will leave you with a sense of unease but also with questions about the limits of what we’re willing to accept and overlook in the name of love.

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