Horror Short Review: Mannequin (2022)

ACM Official aka Alex Magaña is one of the most prolific horror short creators on the web today. Releasing well-crafted shorts on a weekly basis, each dealing with a variety of terrifying subjects. We’ve watched and reviewed a fair few of them and only mention this because after a while, you start to notice familiar trends, tropes, and styles.

This was very much the case with The Mannequin. A four-minute short directed by Alex Magaña, who co-wrote the story with Jed Brain. It stars Juliette Cecil and, in a rare on-screen performance, Alex Magaña himself. Sporting an ACM Official hoodie too. How meta.

A woman, at home, is admiring her newly purchased mannequin when a fleeting shadow out of the corner of her eye gets her attention. When she turns to look, the mannequin hand rises and taps her on the shoulder. No, it hasn’t come to life (yet), it’s just her boyfriend playing a prank.

She tells him that she got the mannequin at an auction house and that the previous owner was a designer who got murdered. He thinks it’s creepy before leaving to go to the gym. As she leaves to get a drink of water, we see the mannequin turn to follow her.

What happens next? Check it out yourself below to find out.

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If, like us, you’re a regular purveyor of ACM Official’s horror shorts, this one is going to feel really familiar. From the visual aesthetics to the score and sound effects to the jump scare finale. This would almost be a box-ticking exercise if, and this is important, Alex Magaña wasn’t so talented in what he does at ACM Official. The quality and professional look and feel of the short wins out and the taking of the mundane and making it something scary is impressive.

Mannequin is a solid short with a delightfully dark ending.




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Mannequin (2022)
  • The Final Score - 6.5/10
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User Review
6.45/10 (4 votes)