'Tale of the Deaf' is full of classic horror vibes

We struck a gothic tone with Anne Hathaway yesterday... and we continue it with today's spooky short film!

Tale of the Deaf (2021)
Starring: Husky and Anton Adasinsky

Director: Philip Yuryev

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A mysterious illusionist and organ grinder (Adasinsky) enters a shabby tavern where he takes to the stage to entertain a crowd who just abused the previous performer (Husky).

"Tale of the Deaf" is a fabulous Russian short film that was originally produced as part of an effort to spotlight popular musicians (in this case, a rapper named Husky) in mini-fright films for the Russian counterpart to YouTube. I can't speak to any other entries in the series, but this one soars far and above its gimmicky origins and rises to the level of horror movie greats. If you enjoy those classic, gothic-horror flavored films from the 1920s and early 1930s (and even some of the Hammer Film flicks from the late 1950s), you're going to get a big kick out of this one.

Almost everything about this film is perfect. From the expert use of light and shadow to make maximum use of the black-and-white format (and resulting in visuals that bring to mind the best work of filmmakers like James Whale, Tod Browning, and Benjamin Christensen), the elaborate tavern set, and a collection of background characters that are deftly given depth with some very brief, but well thought-out, touches.

The only reason that this is not a Ten-star film is that there's a bit of the ending that doesn't seem like it fits with what happened earlier in the film. It fits in over all, it's perfect in a twisted poetic justice sense, but I found myself wondering how it was happening. 

(By the way, if you happen to be a DM who runs games using the Ravenloft setting, you REALLY need to watch "Tale of the Deaf". There's a wealth of inspiration to be had from it!)