British filmmaker, Tavarna Garvey has many different titles. She is a writer, director, devout Tumblr user, and a collector of
vintage horror paperbacks. However, after seeing her short film, “The Other Side of the Witching Hour”, I am convinced she deserves yet another title: time-traveler.
Not only does her film look and feel like a genuine 1970’s freak-out classic, Garvey accomplished something many contemporary horror directors have attempted and failed. She created her own dreamlike world and atmosphere.
The film follows a young woman, played by Tasmin Leona, who suffers from chronic insomnia. Little by little, her reality is transformed into a living nightmare. The viewer is likely to also become consumed, as they follow this troubled young woman down, down, down the rabbit hole and into madness.
It is impossible to look away. Garvey has an incredible eye for detail. Everything, down to the smallest set pieces, were chosen and placed precisely where she wanted them. It is impossible not to see the influence of Mark Robson’s “Valley of the Dolls” or Sergio Martino’s “All The Colors Of The Dark”. She is currently writing a feature that she hopes to shoot in color, which I suspect will be even more visually striking.
“The Other Side of the Witching Hour” took Garvey a year to complete, which she did with help from friends and family. Her brother worked on the short film as her cinematographer, but he is also the main person she turned to for advice. He has been making films for five years and has served as an inspiration and mentor to her, even when he didn’t understand her vision.
She also recruited a friend of her brother’s to make original music for the film. When asked what she was looking for, Garvey cited the soundtrack of a great, and unfortunately overlooked, 1977 film, “Full Circle” (also known as “The Haunting of Julia”).
“A genuine 1970’s freak-out classic.”
Garvey’s film has played at numerous festivals around the world. It finally made its US premiere in November but will be playing at the 2017 Third Eye Film Festival in New Orleans, LA on May 17th. If you can make it to the screening, you won’t be disappointed. You will be left mystified by this beautifully, trippy, short and terribly saddened that Garvey has yet to directed anything else.
But do not fret. Tavarna Garvey’s talents know no bounds, and her many new fans wait patiently for her to create yet another mind-blowing piece of cinema. I, for one, will gladly follow her characters – and even her – down the rabbit hole.
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To learn more about Tavarna Garvey’s film “The Other Side of the Witching Hour” visit her Facebook page or follow her at instagram.com/tavarnacaris
