Tattletale is a 2024 horror short film written, directed, and produced by Eric Albert Branstrom. The film was released to YouTube back in November of 2024 and (as of this writing) is currently still available on the site to watch. A link to the film will be provided at the end of this review.
As you may recall, Branstrom is also the filmmaker behind the short film At the End of the Hall, which I gave a very positive review back in July of 2024. Here’s a link to that review: LINK At the End of the Hall is also currently still available to watch on Branstrom’s Slithery-Dee Films YouTube channel, as are many of his other films.
Tattletale is set in a small U.S. town, presumably during October of 1962 as we can hear then-President John F. Kennedy’s address to the nation (which took place on October 22nd of that year) regarding the subject playing over the schoolhouse’s radio. A young teacher (Magdalena Conway, who also appeared in 2022’s It Came from Somewhere and 2023’s Attack of the Corn Zombies), possibly the only one that the town has, finds herself not only struggling with her students’ poor grades and lack of discipline, but also worrying over the recent disappearance of her only passing student. Feeling both defeated by her perceived failings as a teacher and frightened by the then-current state of the world, she is prepared to resign from her position.
The teacher begins to notice a rancid odor and the presence of flies in her small schoolhouse. This leads her to the discovery of items such as bizarre drawings by her students, bloodied pieces of paper, a book on witchcraft, and something… worse. This is followed by a few strange occurrences that essentially confirm that an evil force is at hand and the missing child is involved.
At her wits end, the teacher begins looking for a way to banish this evil and its hold over the children. Finding a passage in the book that may provide her with the assistance needed, she takes matters into her own hands… quite literally. While this does not entail any gore, there is definitely some bloodshed involved.
NY-based composer Stalk the Owls, who also scored At the End of the Hall, returns with another standout effort that’s easily one of the film’s strongest assets. Much like with At the End of the Hall, the score truly drives the film, setting not only the tone, but also helping to convey the central character’s emotions. This is a young woman whose confidence has faded, forced to deal with a situation far from the ordinary, so there’s a fitting melancholy to the score in the film’s early moments that I rather enjoyed.
There’s solid argument that Tattletale‘s tale is more one of empowerment than terror; a case of finding the strength to fight when you’re ready to give up. That said, the film and this possible message are both capably and effectively handled. Once again, Branstrom demonstrates that he does not need expensive effects or cheap scare tactics to create an effective tale and manages to do so while impressively using very little dialog.
As mentioned, a link to watch the film has been provided below.
Horror And Sons 