Horror Short Review: Last Bus Home (2013)

Creepy and sad, an interesting combination for a horror short, Last Bus Home is a stellar piece of work from director, writer, DOP & editor Mark Jackson.

It’s such a simple premise, one that many women can relate too, being alone at a bus stop when a strange man starts to try and engage you in conversation. What’s wrong with this? After all, he’s only being friendly. How many times has that been said and it led to disaster?

One such woman who ends up in this situation is played by Alicia Bennett. She has had a nice night out and is waiting at the bus stop for her bus home. She’s got her head in her phone, when the sound of a can opening across the road gets her attention. Looking up, she sees a man (Todd Von Joel) sitting at the opposite bus stop and while he is doing absolutely nothing wrong, his appearance makes her immediately tense.

Then he calls out to her. Seemingly jovial, he tries to have some playful banter, completely unaware of how uncomfortable he is making her.

Is he nothing but a bloke trying to be friendly or does he have more sinister intentions? Check it out below to find out.

What many, including us, weren’t expecting with this short was something with so many layers. More than just a scary story, it speaks about the dangers women face when alone on the streets at night. Which in itself is impressive when it barely hits a 4-minute runtime. Then you also have the added layer of misinterpretation and the sadness of drug addiction.

It’s a very strong horror short.