From the mind of Neill Blomkamp comes Oats Studios, a series of post-apocalyptic / science fiction / horror short films (some of them very short), both animated and live action. There's plenty of violence and gore but horror purists will likely take issue with my including this here. I don't care. This is my blog, this is my October series, I liked most of these little films and several of them made me squirm. Scroll on by if you must.
Rakka - This was the longest of them, I think, an alien invasion/human resistance piece. It very much looks like District 9 (love that movie). Violent, bloody, with body mods and holy hell Sigourney Weaver!
Firebase - Set in Vietnam, U.S. forces finding tens of thousands dead, mutilated corpses like no one has ever seen, a survivor in the tunnel, the River God. Unsettling.
Cooking with Bill - The scary movies are interspersed with funny ones to lighten the mood. Cooking with Bill definitely has a lighter tone but HOLY FUCK I literally gagged at the sushi. Not for those with weak stomachs.
God: Serengeti/ Chicago - Imagine God as a bored, petty deity inflicting pointless misery on the humans laid out before him in dioramas. This is half live action and half animation and the tiny human animation is very, very good.
Zygote - Only two miners have survived out of 98 at the installation. Something horrific killed the rest and the survivors are trying to get to the next building where there's a possibility of safety. The male actor was nearly impossible for me to understand, speech-wise. The monster is AMAZING and looks really good even though I think it's mostly animation and not practical. This one counts as space horror.
Bad President - Another "funny" segment (not very funny) about how awful the U.S. president is after the alien invasion. My least favorite of the lot.
Adam: Episode 2 - All robots, prisoners and guards. They're trying to remember who they were, where they came from. All animation.
Adam: Episode 3 - A mystic requires all supplicants to renounce technology in exchange for refuge, healing and miracles. The miracles are real but there's a twist. Uncanny valley animation.
Gdansk - More uncanny animation (not my favorite style, to be honest) set in what looks like medieval times. Plus there's a giant. And the Neverending Story theme song which made me laugh.
Kapture/Locust - The final bit is more uncanny valley animation with new weapons testing on unsuspecting human prisoners. Lots of animated blood splashing about.
I definitely preferred the live action stuff (Rakka and Zygote particularly) to the animated pieces. Some more successful than others but generally solid stuff if you're in the mood for weird sci-fi/horror adjacent stuff.
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