Horror Short Review: Candle Cove (2018)

Candle Cove is a Creepypasta horror written by author Kris Straub in 2009. Since then it has garnered a cult following including a television adaptation in 2016 called Channel Zero: Candle Cove.

The story revolves around a TV series called, Candle Cove. This puppet show was only view-able by children and on an online thread a group of people discuss it. As they reminisce about the show they begin to remember more disturbing details about it before it is revealed by another that his mother said that when they were watching Candle Cove all that was on the TV was static.

Very creepy and ripe for a re-imagination. Enter Andrew J.D. Robinson.

Andrew J.D. Robinson is an award-winning filmmaker and the founder/festival programmer of the 15 Second Horror Film Challenge. A non-profit international filmmaking contest in which celebrity judges decide the top films and conventions screen our greatest hits. Check out the site here.

We have reviewed a few of his shorts before which you can read about below.

Sightings (2017)
A Walk Home Alone (2017)
Placebo (2017)
Something Scary (2017)

So, Candle Cove is re-imagined by Andrew J.D. Robinson here and it stars Anne-Carolyne Binette & Tristan McIntosh. The short is produced by WORKOBEY Films and comes in at just under two minutes long.

From the moment the two puppets appear on screen and a playful tune rings out, Candle Cove makes you shift a little in your seat. Nothing has actually happened yet and nothing really will but there is an ominous presence felt.

We we’re then introduced to a pair of siblings who have unearthed their old video tapes of Candle Cove. They reminisce about it before the brother asks “whatever happened to that show?” and the sister tells him that he fell asleep during the last ever episode.

“It made no sense; all the puppets just screamed the entire show”

Well, that sounds just lovely. The pair dig up an old VCR and attempt to watch a few episodes but all they get is static until they put in the final episode. Once again static fills the screen but behind the fuzzy noise are the horrifying and blood-curdling sounds of screams.

This is horror that you desperately want to see more of, to know more of. What is Candle Cove? The screams that play over the static sound like a group of people in the most horrible situation ever. They’re terrified and it makes you feel so uneasy as the short ends.

There really isn’t much to Candle Cove but there doesn’t need to be. With just a few lines of dialogue both actors do brilliantly, showing the gleefulness of nostalgia before being reminded of something they probably wish they had forgotten.

Effective horror. Check it out yourself below.