Tag (2026)
Tag, Brianna Lee's short film, is a game of marital horror that packs a decent amount of nastiness into its six minutes. Another of her Halloween Nights shorts, it is a touch slight and a little let down by its build-up, but it has a wicked streak and a nice central idea. Three stars.
I will keep the particulars to myself, because the pleasure here is in watching it curdle. It follows two newlyweds, played by Lee and Eli Bridges, who have come to a creepy backwater town for reasons they keep turning over between themselves. They set out on a supposedly spooky trail that proves hopelessly underwhelming, and then a playful bit of larking about takes a darker turn as something sinister makes itself known. It is a slow-burn opening that, if I am honest, teeters on the edge of the genuinely dull before the hook finally lands.
And when it lands, it lands well. Without giving anything away, the film pays off its title and the wedding vows at its heart in one grim, satisfyingly mean stroke, a nasty little riff on the idea that marriage really is for better or worse. It is the kind of ending that makes you wish the rest had been as sharp.
Three stars. Tag is a modestly effective horror short with a good idea at its centre and a satisfyingly mean payoff, held back mainly by a slow and slightly flat opening stretch and the simple limits of its length. The concept is strong enough that I would happily have seen it given more room to breathe, but as a quick Halloween jolt it does the job.
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