Written and directed by Steven Adam Renkovish, on Halloween night, a grieving woman turns to the occult in an attempt to reunite with her deceased lover. Starring: Brittany Renée, Shelby Lynne Willis, Jessie Roberts, Lorraine Renkovish, Hop Roberts, Maggie Roberts, Lucas Roberts, Chance Roberts, Merrick Williams, Crystal Brown and Anthony Adams.
Grief and horror have always gone hand in hand, walking down a macabre, pained, dark road, and The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne is another example of that marriage of melancholy. Especially when you’re shooting on film, because it has such intrinsically nostalgic, spooky and curious qualities. The aesthetic and tone immediately pull you back to the horror of the late 1960s and early 1970s, with films like Dementia 13, Spider Baby or Mark of the Witch. Even more so when they’re paired with the terrific score from Kelly Ward and the sound work from Steven Adam Renkovish, which both elevate the atmosphere and presence of the film.
That atmosphere is initially thick with curiosity and an eerie air then Renkovish layers in romance and grief. The progression and pacing both work surprisingly well, especially with the short coming in at almost thirty minutes, which is on the lengthier side. There’s a great, smooth flow to The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne, Renkovish doesn’t try to over-fill the plot, it’s relatively simple and chaptered cleverly to continue to add to the story gradually. Something which is reflected in Renkovish’s choices with dialogue, when to use it, and more important when not to, to strengthen the atmosphere and not simplify the tone, to keep it in a faint realm of mystery.
Another interesting element of that is the performance from Brittany Renée because there is a lot of emotion and desperation at work beneath the surface of her character, but she doesn’t wear that on her face or with her physicality. She keeps her portrayal refined and quiet, there’s a purposeful simplicity to it, to work as a piece of the larger puzzle rather than taking the spotlight. There’s also a great supporting cast behind her who similarly tap perfectly into the tone of The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne.
Within The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne there’s a captivating mix of the modern and the old-school. Steven Adam Renkovish does a wonderful job of interlacing some of those 1960s sensibilities and styles with themes of today. The way that the film moves is highly nostalgic, and while the story is clear it also manages to hold onto an air of mystery, crafting a great balance. There’s an excellent classically driven score which boosts the atmosphere. It’s also a great final touch to not too clearly define the ending, to leave things a little bit vague so that viewers can understand it, but still leave it open to a little bit of interpretation.
