The Corridor
2021 · 5m · UK
Directed by James Mansell
Genres: animation, experimental, horror
Tones: contemplative, dark
An endless corridor of locked doors holds a man prisoner as his mind begins to disintegrate. An experimental animated short reflecting on mental health, anxiety, and isolation through a nightmarish horror lens.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Anxiety-as-endless-corridor rendered in chalk-rotoscope — a mental health PSA dressed up as horror animation, and it shows. Five minutes of metaphor I've already seen.
A chalk-rotoscoped corridor as metaphor for a mental-health spiral is competent but well-trodden ground, with the Scanner Darkly comparison perhaps generous. A modest experimental short.
Chalk-drawing rotoscope with noir-illustrative aesthetic is a specific look choice that could really work for the mental-health-as-horror frame. 5 minutes on Klipist, but I can't verify how cleanly the chalk style executes without seeing it.
Reviews
Beautifully shot, The Corridor is a waking nightmare fully realised and visually striking.
Mansell and his team have assembled another impressive piece of work, one that might stir some existential dread in the hearts of all who see it.
Festivals
- Raindance Film Festival 2021
- British Horror Film Festival 2021, Nominated for Best Short Film
- Popcorn Frights Film Festival 2021