Horror Short Review: Shadow of Violence (2024)

From writer Erdeniz Tunç and director Can Sağır comes the short, Shadow of Violence. A short that stars Cahit Kaşıkçılar, Ahmet Atakul, Serkan Üzüm, Serdar Güven, and Berat Aydın.

Tunç and Sağır worked together previously on the impressive horror short, Ancient Voice. One that showed the pair had the talent to create something with chilling atmosphere and just enough visual horror moments to thrill. This time though, their approach is a little different and fits more in the ‘thriller’ genre.

Cenk, a young man, is going though a rough period in his life and it all stems from an incident in his past. Something his latest doctor insists he must confront.

Cenk and his friend Batu are going out for the night, planning to be picked up by their friends in a cab. While waiting outside, Cenk pops to a local shop to pick up some cigarettes and as he heads back to Batu, two masked men race past him. Realising that the two men came from the direction Batu is, Cenk panics and runs to where his friend is now lying on ground, badly hurt from a serious stab wound.

This entire event had serious repercussions for Cenk’s psyche but also reveals a dark side to the man. Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to erase these memories from the mind? A question that is left unanswered here, but hinting at the potential for an expansion on this story and/or a sequel. Which would be very cool, as there’s some good stuff here, most notably the acting and stylistic filming touches that give this a feature film sheen.

Where the short is found lacking is with its attempt to tell a big story in concise fashion. Regretfully leaving out detail and content that would help it be more substantial and with that, have more impact.

Still, it’s another impressive release from Erdeniz Tunc and Can Sağır. The pair showing more range and a different side to their horror creativity. Check it out below.