Count Magnus (Short, 2015)
Narrated by Silas Hawkins
Directed by Richard Mansfield
Available from mansfielddark.com
Sometimes a fresh perspective on an old yarn is all you need to rejuvenate the story, and director Richard Mansfield does just that with his shadow animation presentation of the classic M.R. James tale Count Magnus.
Displayed in a look that echoes a puppet show, the short is a retelling of the recital contained within the book Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James and gives individuals who may not be familiar with the story an interesting approach to a very old tale. Narrated by Silas Hawkins, he describes the exploits of one Mr. Wraxall, who is visiting a family in Sweden to obtain some information about their family history in preparation for a travel book he’ll soon be penning. As he digs deeper and deeper into the family’s dark history, the discovery of a maniacal entity known only as Count Magnus comes to light, and Mr. Wraxall will have to save not only himself, but the lives of those around him from the madman who resides in a nearby mausoleum.
With a sub 12-minute runtime, Mansfield still manages to allow the story plenty of room to breathe, and it really is a creepy little narrative if you’ve ever had the chance to read it. The visuals are very cartoonish but hold a foreboding sense of dread in order to correctly relay the details without coming off too hokey.
If you get the special edition DVD, it contains tinted and black & white versions of the film plus four short films.
Recommended for those who either have jumped into the book at one time or another or just want to feel those little hairs rise up on the back of their necks.
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Film
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