The Indie short film Ludella is all about secrets that are not so little in the big scheme of things. As a horror film it works brilliantly. This project is the maiden voyage of producer/writer/director/actor Heather Bayles. She acquits herself well here.
the Story
30 years previously a young girl goes missing. She goes into the woods for a walk and just vanishes. Her name is Ludella. Detective Todd Richards has never believed that the little girl is dead. He continues to search amid rumours that the mentally challenged girl is alive.
The Cast
Heather Bayles is adult Ludella.
James L. Edwards is Detective Todd Richards.
Brad Vincent is Dell Geyer.
Katie Wells is Sarah.
Behind the camera
Ludella was filmed on location in Ohio. Considering it had a budget of 2K, the film looks good. Bayles as director sets the pace and does a good job. The story itself is an intimate one. There are four main characters and these folks are not your run of the mill citizens of small town USA.
Story aside, the editing of Ludella is a bit rough in at least one place. An exterior shot where the angle changes jerkily. The sound itself is good, you can hear the actors easily and the score is not overly intrusive.
Samuel L. Fronsman and Richard Russell share cinematography duties. Russell also edited the film. Overall the film looks good. Each scene is tightly framed to make the most of a small setting and what appears to be natural lighting.
The action choreography is a bit lackadaisical in the basement attack scene. However the scratches on Todd’s face look pretty darn good. The practical effects later on are done well.
It works
Bayles gives us a world that could almost described as “Southern Gothic” *Despite being filmed in Ohio.* in nature. A place where folks find using a taser perfectly acceptable as a training tool.
These same characters, who are “law abiding citizens,” also find nothing wrong with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
Bayles entertains here. Using a lowkey approach works well, not unlike the lowkey presentation of 2017’s Rainy Season. Utilizing the “less is more” approach, she manages to paint an entertaining, yet unsettling, picture.
The cast all deliver here. Kudos to Brad Vincent as Dell. He really looked ready to beat the detective with extreme prejudice.
The Verdict
Ludella is a solid 3 out of 5 star effort. Heather Bayles has come out of the gate strong here. This award winning short film (It runs around 18 and a half minutes.) got best First Time Female Director at the 2024 Stockholm City Film Festival. On top of that, I enjoyed it. Kudos to Bayles for nailing it on her first short feature. You can catch the film over on YouTube.
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