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So.
Mike Diva’s Proxy.
I wont lie, I was both really excited for this but also a little apprehensive….
I love both Mike’s work and the Slenderman mythos. But the amount of Slendy videos and stories on the web is ridiculous and I didn’t want Mike to jump the bandwagon or have his work lost in a sea of creepypasta. However, after sending a message on twitter to him about that, he seemed to only want to do it because he actually really wanted to and because he wanted to make the best one out there. Fair do’s.
And I think he did a really bang up job.
I was pretty worried considering Diva is, I don’t know, very much an auteur? You can tell his work a mile off, especially when it comes to computer generated special effects. Not that that’s a bad thing, his style fits everything he’s made thus far. And, to my surprise, it fit Proxy just as well. It’s weirdly grainy but very sharp, the effects and sound are top notch and it’s very aesthetically pleasing.
The direction and overall visual look and feel of the short is jaw dropping, it really did blow me away. Even more so when you consider it’s just a low budget short. (Don’t quote me on that though, I’m just making the assumption that it was low budget.) I would have to say the entire video is visual porn. Some of the shots are just so stunning. The shower scene in particular springs to mind; it is so beautiful and surreal. But, he’s also able to make some of the more mundane scenes look fantastic too. I can’t put my finger on it, but the scene where Vince gets out of bed, goes outside and gets into his car, it’s just really easy and enjoyable to watch. Or at least it was for myself.
The attention to detail is brilliant too; only upon my 3rd viewing did I notice that, when Slenderman appears on Vince’s computer, the wall behind the computer is no longer there; it’s replaced by the woods. Which, like I said, brilliant.
One of the only things, visually, I didn’t like was during the restaurant (??) scene, where the camera’s panning away and Vice and Jess and they are just like WOW so brightly lit in comparison to the close up shots of them. Also, most shots that included Vince looking at stuff on the internet, you could kind of tell were slapped on in post. But, in all honesty, that’s me nit picking.
There are some wonderful jump scares too, some of which I saw coming, but still proceeded to jump at. And don’t get me started on the gore at the beginning/end! Firstly, I did not see that coming at all and secondly, it was so well done but not overly gratuitous. I’m not 100% sure if I like the idea of Slenderman dicking around with peoples organs, but it was definitely an interesting twist on what is an established horror figure. What’s even better is that the film doesn’t even attempt to explain anything, like, how is a proxy made/chosen? Why is Slenderman so interested in organs? Why didn’t Jess just leave Vince because he was crazy and attracted a horrific monster? We just don’t know.
I think one problem that the short has is that, unlike Marble Hornets (and I hate to compare it to that, really I do) is that it didn’t seem to have the same tension and suspense. You know when you watch Proxy that it’s going to be about Slenderman and that he’s bound to pop up. Whereas with Marble Hornets, you never know when or where ol’ Slendy’s going to appear.
Another problem and potential plot hole is that, if Vince googled slenderman, he would have come across the SA forum post he was born in and realised he wasn’t real; but I’m assuming this is a world where he is real and whatnot.
So yeah. In a nutshell, if you like Mike Diva’s work, Slenderman or horror in general, this is definitely worth a watch.
