Short of the Week

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Music Video New Media Ltd

Night Stalker

A night-out at a Karaoke bar is disturbed by a surreal experience with some truly evil genetically-modified takeout food

Play
Music Video New Media Ltd

Night Stalker

A night-out at a Karaoke bar is disturbed by a surreal experience with some truly evil genetically-modified takeout food

Night Stalker

Directed By New Media Ltd
Made In USA

If we had a ‘WTF’ category on Short of the Week, New Media Ltd’s unforgettable short Night Stalker would undoubtedly be a film perfectly made for that channel. A blend of two music videos (produced by Oh La La Records – who also produced the short) created for Fort Lean tracks Cut To The Chase and Might’ve Misheard, edited together into one longer piece, this is a short that may narratively bewilder audiences, but the atmosphere and craft is just too damn distinct for us to ignore.

With a plot that seems to revolve around some truly evil genetically-modified takeout food that transports it recipients to a bleak nightmarish world inhabited by unrecognisable creatures, it seems fair to label Night Stalker as belonging to the more abstract regions of what we curate here on Short of the Week. Combining two brilliant music videos, this New Media Ltd piece doesn’t have the most defined narrative arc or coherent storyline, but this lack of narrative cohesion is quickly forgiven when you witness the stunning production values on show.

A combination of live-action and animation, but certainly not in that ‘Roger Rabbit’ sort-of-way, Night Stalker transports its viewer (along with its protagonist played by Maya Kazan) from the dimly-lit karaoke bars and apartments of its real-world settings, to a hellish stop-motion universe.

Night Stalker is a film that’s hard to discuss without really spoiling most of its enjoyable moments, but it’s the jarring juxtaposition between the normal and surreal that makes this such a striking short. Catching you off-guard with the direction it takes, this is a short/music video combo that you’ll want to watch time and time again (just don’t blame me for those nightmares!).