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Ryan Swantek

3 stories
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Báthory: Virgin Blood (2019)

‘Round this time last year I gave you lot my thoughts on Panther Ridge (which you can read here)…a demented deep dive into the world of BDSM. Well, lo and behold; Writer/Director Ryan Swantek is back with another sinister short, this time featuring a take on legendary real-life vampire Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed! Comprised of a single sequence, Báthory: Virgin Blood shows our vicious vamp (Darryl Sposato) doing what she does best…namely liberating a comely virgin (Kaylee Giza) of her precious life’s blood, and then ensconcing herself in that sweet red sauce in order to maintain her beauty eternally. Lit by sensuous candle light and featuring those glorious ’70’s occultism trappings such as inverted crosses and pentagrams that your’s cruelly just can’t get enough of…along with an aesthetic of beauty being derived from the grotesque; this production easily brings to mind the best qualities of the glory days of the Euro-horror genre…right down to those lesbian vampires! The only

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DanXIII
May 9, 2019
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: 5:29 See the Devil’s Eyes (2018)

In 5:29 See the Devil’s Eyes, we are treated to graphic representation of a Bible passage, Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” to be precise. Devoid of narrative or dialog, 5:29 See the Devil’s Eyes distills the passage above to a single image; that of a woman (Kaylee Giza), mutilated in a representation of sin who steps forward to reveal an even more horrific nightmare hidden under her dark hair. Director Ryan Swnatek presents the whole grizzly tableau in a lurid color scheme straight out of the Italian fright flicks of old (with a nod to Argento if I’m not mistaken). It’s a pleasing dichotomy of beauty and ugliness which is also echoed in the main character who’s feminine charm is forever marred by grievous injury. Speaking

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 24, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Panther Ridge (2018)

Panther Ridge concerns the fateful night a young acolyte descends into the BDSM underground…and what starts as a fairly rote bondage and knife play scenario, soon spins massively out of control into a level of violence that goes beyond mere sexual gratification and straight into “Holy fuck, you people are out of your goddamned minds” in the blink of an eye (and flash of the blade). Coming from Writer/Director Ryan Swantek, Panther Ridge is an enigmatic and shockingly violent short subject. Clocking in at just over six minutes, the film introduces us to both a novice dominatrix, and her seasoned mentor, not to mention a well dressed man that seems to be guiding the operation…but who he is, who is watching the live feed (the entire event is being filmed by an obsidian camera that almost becomes a character itself, besides being a rather ominous phallic symbol), and other questions are never answered…which could be frustrating if handled poorly, but

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 10, 2018

More from Ryan Swantek

Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Báthory: Virgin Blood (2019)

‘Round this time last year I gave you lot my thoughts on Panther Ridge (which you can read here)…a demented deep dive into the world of BDSM. Well, lo and behold; Writer/Director Ryan Swantek is back with another sinister short, this time featuring a take on legendary real-life vampire Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed! Comprised of a single sequence, Báthory: Virgin Blood shows our vicious vamp (Darryl Sposato) doing what she does best…namely liberating a comely virgin (Kaylee Giza) of her precious life’s blood, and then ensconcing herself in that sweet red sauce in order to maintain her beauty eternally. Lit by sensuous candle light and featuring those glorious ’70’s occultism trappings such as inverted crosses and pentagrams that your’s cruelly just can’t get enough of…along with an aesthetic of beauty being derived from the grotesque; this production easily brings to mind the best qualities of the glory days of the Euro-horror genre…right down to those lesbian vampires! The only

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 9, 2019
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: 5:29 See the Devil’s Eyes (2018)

In 5:29 See the Devil’s Eyes, we are treated to graphic representation of a Bible passage, Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” to be precise. Devoid of narrative or dialog, 5:29 See the Devil’s Eyes distills the passage above to a single image; that of a woman (Kaylee Giza), mutilated in a representation of sin who steps forward to reveal an even more horrific nightmare hidden under her dark hair. Director Ryan Swnatek presents the whole grizzly tableau in a lurid color scheme straight out of the Italian fright flicks of old (with a nod to Argento if I’m not mistaken). It’s a pleasing dichotomy of beauty and ugliness which is also echoed in the main character who’s feminine charm is forever marred by grievous injury. Speaking

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 24, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Panther Ridge (2018)

Panther Ridge concerns the fateful night a young acolyte descends into the BDSM underground…and what starts as a fairly rote bondage and knife play scenario, soon spins massively out of control into a level of violence that goes beyond mere sexual gratification and straight into “Holy fuck, you people are out of your goddamned minds” in the blink of an eye (and flash of the blade). Coming from Writer/Director Ryan Swantek, Panther Ridge is an enigmatic and shockingly violent short subject. Clocking in at just over six minutes, the film introduces us to both a novice dominatrix, and her seasoned mentor, not to mention a well dressed man that seems to be guiding the operation…but who he is, who is watching the live feed (the entire event is being filmed by an obsidian camera that almost becomes a character itself, besides being a rather ominous phallic symbol), and other questions are never answered…which could be frustrating if handled poorly, but

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 10, 2018