Created as a school project, Clean Freak is a short film written and directed by Phil Wirkus and is now available to watch (for free!) on Vimeo. Another of Wirkus’s shorts, High Strangeness, is also available to watch on the platform as well.

After what would appear to have been a night of partying with friends, or possibly a week’s worth of just being a lazy ass, a woman (Marseli Redford) sets to cleaning up around her small apartment. She completes the task, save for the washing of two drink glasses, but is distracted by a sound coming from her bedroom. Finding only that a mug used for holding pens has fallen over, she returns to her kitchen and is surprised to find that the glasses have been washed and placed in the dish strainer.

These strange occurrences of cleanliness continue, leaving the woman to question if her apartment is haunted by an unseen entity with a propensity for tidiness. With the use of a Ouija board, she soon discovers that, yes, the place is indeed haunted. As the entity’s intentions seem to be focused on keeping the place clean, the woman begins to intentionally leave the chores for her new “live-in housekeeper” to take care of. However, even a ghost (or whatever this unseen presence actually is) has a limit of just how much slobbishness it can tolerate.

Clean Freak may not be the “deepest” of stories, but at only just under eight minutes long, it doesn’t really need to be. All that the film really needs to be is a quick dose of spooky fun. In that regard, I do believe that it admirably succeeds. Redford gives a decent performance, although she is rightfully overshadowed by her new unseen “roommate”. In fact, I find myself quite sympathetic of the entity as I too abhor messy people.

While the film’s special effects are fairly minimal, they do appear to be achieved through practical means, which is always a plus in my book. I would even argue that the lack of budget helps the film as many bigger-budgeted “ghost stories” (for lack of a better term) tend to push things a little too far when it comes to showcasing the presence of a supernatural force. 

Overall, Clean Freak is a fun little ride, and one that I consider worth checking out… but why take my word for it when you can watch the film for yourself below. Let me know what YOU think in our comments section.