The Sandman

This short film tells the story of the legendary Sandman, but with a twist. Instead of portraying this mythical character as a positive being that brings good dreams to children, the film chooses to show him in a new light: as someone who terrorises children and steals their eyes.

The myth of The Sandman was the main inspiration behind this movie. By changing The Sandman in such a way, it delivers a big shock to the audience, and also makes the writer of this short film seem very clever. It is ingenious that someone would take this innocent character and turn him into something so sinister, all the while keeping the gist of his story – it shows there is not a lot of difference between good and evil, and that good can easily be changed to bad, which creates an uncomfortable atmosphere, possibly making the audience lose their trust in things they find virtuous. Finally, by basing this short film on a story so traditional and popular, it is likely to draw in a large audience, as people are already familiar with the story (and like it).

The main message behind The Sandman is that children should not be left alone and should be supervised at all times. It’s a simple message, but a strong one, as the audience are likely to give it some real thought (due to the shock they get), and it may even change the way they do things. I feel it is good for a short film to include a shocking or troubling message, as it causes the audience to remember the film, and also creates a talking point (which may help to increase views).

There is no dialogue in this short movie, which creates an uneasy atmosphere, as the audience and characters involved have no one to turn to for support or answers. This makes the boy appear very lonely, as he doesn’t really seem to have a connection with anyone (not even his mother). The most important thing the lack of dialogue does, however, is to put maximum focus on actions, meaning that the audience are scared to their full potential by The Sandman’s creepy movements, as there is nothing to detract from them.

This short film is ten minutes in length, which is rather long for a movie of this sort. It’s so long because moments such as the stair scenes are dragged out for ages, building tension to the absolute highest for the audience. These long, stair scenes may also be boring for some viewers, meaning that when something surprising/loud/interesting does happen, they are all the more astounded.

This is an animated piece, which makes it seem very childish - as if it should appeal to children. However, this seems to be some sort of joke, as the brutal film is not aimed at children whatsoever, which will again, appal some members of the audience. It is also common knowledge that some people find animation (particularly moulded/dough animation) unsettling, making the film all the more difficult to view for some people (which emphasises and adds to the uncomfortable storyline for them).

The editing in this film is very slow, even though it seems like it should be fast in parts. This adds to the uneasiness created by the movie, as it gives a sense of something being off kilter and not quite right. However, it could be argued that the editing is slow in order to build tension up until the quicker (but not fast) editing at the end of the film, when The Sandman feeds his children.

For the most part, there is no music applied, apart from a simple breeze sound effect. This emphasises that it is the dead of night, which really increases the fear factor for the audience, and keeps them on the edge of their seats (night time is often associated with bad events/monsters/etc). However, when music is used, an unnerving and lazy piano track plays, which almost seems like a spin on the usual, happy piano music associated with children and nursery rhymes. This makes the film all the more twisted. At the climax of the movie, the music really comes to life, as a loud, thrashing piece is heard containing stringed instruments, bells and some swooping sound effects. The loud volume shocks the audience (as for the most part, this film is silent), reflects The Sandman’s evil actions and emphasises that this is the finale of the movie. Stringed instruments are nearly always used in soundtracks to create tension and unease (think Psycho), and here is no exception. Finally, the swooping sound effects are almost a motif for The Sandman, as he can fly and is often seen jumping around at great heights. These sounds are very clear in the music at the end, showing that The Sandman now has total control and dominance.