Bloody Basin a killer short

It’s bad luck to kill a coyote. It’s really bad luck to kill a coyote if you’re a college kid trespassing on sacred Native American soil with three of your college buddies. This is what writer/director Dave Surber shows us in his 15-minute short, Bloody Basin.

Bloody Basin is just that, the story of four college students, two guys and two girls, that decide to set up camp on a Native American Reservation. After a night of drinking, one of the fellows pulls out a shot gun and shoots a coyote off in the distance. From this point on its bad news for this group of America’s future as every little turn and twist becomes deadlier than the last.

The film is directed and written very well. The opening shots of the Arizona desert are gorgeous. As a fan of establishing shots, especially those that involve natural landscape and scenery, the opening sequence of Bloody Basin was right up my alley.

The story is perfect for the short film format and Surber did en excellent job of executing it on film. I’m unaware of whether or not the story is something Surber came up with entirely on his own or if its loosely based off a Native American legend or myth, which admittedly I should know being from Arizona, regardless however, the idea is tailor made for this medium so kudos to Surber for taking advantage of that.

That acting is the weakest link of Bloody Basin. The lead male, Mike, played by Gordon Clark, gave the best performance and stood out to me. He was perfectly cast as the twenty something, obnoxious college male, whose only focus and care is to bed as many women as possible. I look forward to seeing Clark around in the future. His supporting cast, however, could use a little work. This is not to say that they were bad, just that it appeared to be first time gigs for them while Clark looks to be a little more polished. In no way did any of these performances take away from the overall enjoyment level of the film and I fully expect each one of these actors to continue to grow and progress.

All in all, Bloody Basin is a great little thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. My eyes were glued to the screen throughout as I watched the fast paced plot unfold and come to an exciting, heart pounding conclusion. Oh, and I learned to never kill a coyote. Not bad, Surber, not bad at all.