How to Disappear
2022 · 17m · UK
Directed by Jack Carrivick
Genres: dark comedy, horror
Tones: absurdist, dark, darkly comic
Social hermit Nina Moyse decides to take her withdrawal from the world one step further by attempting to literally disappear — only to discover that part of her still craves human contact, with grisly consequences.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A social hermit's descent into literal disappearance—and then casual slaughter—is exactly the kind of premise that makes consensus programmers squirm, which is precisely why Carrivick nailed it; deadpan British character study bleeding into gory body horror is a mashup nobody asked for and everyone should see.
Carrivick situates himself in a lineage of British gothic absurdism and domestic-horror restraint, using deadpan editing and tonal whiplash as formal tools rather than mere shock—the craft here knows exactly which tradition it's subverting.
The film's entire architecture hangs on a single decision: treating the escalation from tea-and-silence to arterial spray with the same flat affect, which transforms what could've been gimmicky into something genuinely unsettling and alive.
Reviews
Sick, twisted, and hilarious.
A smart crafted short film — ironic, realistic, with a nice perspective on the slasher.
Festivals
- Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival 2022
- Melbourne Underground Film Festival 2022
- Another Hole in the Head Film Festival 2022
- Indy Film Fest 2022
- DC Shorts Film Festival 2022