Bill (2024) balances dark comedy with horror, producing a well-acted short film carried by Deana Taheri’s lead performance, yet its ending is somewhat anticlimactic.
Director: Emily Dhue
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Run Time: 10′
Bill (2024) Release Date: TBA
Lilith (Deana Taheri) lights a candle, illuminating the meal she labored over for her husband, Bill (Yianni Sines). When he arrives home from work, the meal they share is accompanied by incessant sexist and derogatory comments, and his persistent question to Lilith, “What would you do without me?”
Bill is a short film directed by Emily Dhue, which won Best Horror at the 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival. It attempts to track the trajectory of a woman who decides she’s had enough of toxic sexism. Lilith’s life revolves around her husband, but when she takes control of her life, she’s introduced to a world of possibilities. Could she be free from her old lifestyle and finally make friends, get a dream job, or chase her own aspirations? The result is more unsettling than one might hope for.
The title card, score, costume design, and colorization look like something from a game show or late night talk show, evoking nostalgic feelings from 20th Century television. Bill effectively toys with familiar styles of the past while unraveling a dark story. The overall result is reminiscent of that of Late Night with the Devil and Woman of the Hour. Bill balances dark comedy with horror, centering on the breaking of a woman’s mind after the torment of her husband. Overall, it is a well-acted short film, yet its ending is somewhat anticlimactic.
Bill’s short time in the story is mitigated by an onslaught of crude behavior and relentlessness regarding women. A fast-paced score and spastic jump cuts frame the madness Lilith experiences daily, until everything goes silent and she cracks. After killing her husband, she decides to craft her own perfect love story. He can no longer resist her whims and plans, so she revels in her newfound control over her life. Instead of simply moving on and forgetting about Bill, she turns him into her puppet and controls him. She kills him, then she acts out their marriage on her terms.
Though she slashes her way to freedom from her husband, the damage of Bill’s constant belittling and sexism have an ongoing impact on Lilith. Her progression from scared and disgusted to carefree and manic is eerie; she’s free from the grip of her husband, but doesn’t want to imagine life without him.
Deana Taheri’s acting is the strongest part of Bill. She delivers a nuanced performance which is equally convincing in comedy and horror. The comedy writing is fitting for a short film attempting to garner feelings of nostalgia, but at some points it feels overused. At just over 10 minutes, Bill could have used even a few more minutes to develop its final moments more. The ending feels abrupt and out of place, as if a story that finally started making progress came to a screeching halt.
Nevertheless, Bill is a fun horror comedy that offers commentary on gender and power dynamics. Though some writing elements are lacking, it has good acting which supports a haunting premise drenched in humor and stylistic elements from a bygone era of movies.
Bill won the Best Horror Award at the HollyShorts Film Festival on August 11, 2024.
