The Unseelie Court (2002)
The Unseelie Court is a 33 minute fictional short film with an odd and unusual plot, very much in the tradition of an old Twilight Zone episode. Written and directed by Eric Muss-Barnes, it was shot in the spring of 2002 in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio with a budget of under $1000.
A heavily dialog-driven tale, it is also a true "art house" style of independent motion picture, designed to showcase a far more slowly and realistically-paced film than most. The story takes place all in one evening, during a thunderstorm, at a mysterious pub called Storytellers Tavern.
Reknown for their good stories, it is a tradition for patrons at Storytellers to have strange and unusual tales to tell. Those who are regular visitors are into hearing and telling stories, just as much as they are into having a drink and spending time with their friends. It is not unusual for strangers to gather in circles around the fireplace to hear the latest tale or for a person to be sitting in the corner, writing a novel or composing a poem.
Storytellers is very deserted this evening, because of the storm. Hardly any customers are there except for a young girl reading a novel, a few young punker/gothkids in the corner, and a vagrant homeless man.
Vivian, a pretty young woman in her twenties, is a regular at Storytellers. She comes in to the place, without any concern for the storm, and strikes up a conversation with the bartender. Initially, she is disappointed. The storm has messed up the television reception so there is no chance for watching Twilight Zone reruns. And the place is so deserted, Vivian figures that she has no chance of hearing a good tale this night.
However, she finds out from the bartender, that there may be an interesting story waiting in the shadows this evening after all. . .
Starring:
Rick Montgomery
Marylee Gotch
Leah Abdenour
Ed Cambron
Nicole Nield
Rachel Hanskee