At the end of civilization, John becomes separated from his love. He searches for her even though the world around him becomes desolate and inhospitable. As he searches, he slowly loses touch with reality to the point where his madness becomes part of his being. John searches across wastelands and descends deep into the sea in his quest. He must continue on even though the world around him is foreign and deserted. He must search, and as he searches, he is being pursued. He finally finds her but by then he is dying. His love, who has been searching for him, is unaware that he is beneath her feet under the ice.
“Creatures of Madness” was created in 2020 by Christian Szczerba. It is a French independent experimental short film that runs about ten minutes and is part of the subgenre of cosmic horror. It is also a sort of love story. At least in my opinion. Christian’s films are open to interpretation. Christian was fifteen when he created the short. This and his other films can be viewed on his YouTube channel “Moon Prod”.
The film depicts the end of the world as we know it. Without humans, the world can still exist, and life can still go on, however, the creatures in it are not what they once were. In Lovecraft tradition, the protagonist’s descent is, at one point, illustrated by his actual descent into the depths of an ocean. The unfamiliar aspects of the deep sea add to the character’s feeling of isolation and desperation as he pushes into the unknown.
Many of Christian’s films have a bleak and forbidding feel to them. He is often inspired by the works of other cosmic horror enthusiasts such as H. P. Lovecraft. The film is bookended by two different companion elements. The first is a quote from T S Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” that is shown at the beginning of the film. The second is the use of the song “We’ll Meet Again” by The Ink Spots that runs during the closing credits. Both deepen the feeling of desolation and isolation that heighten the effects of the images. Christian also uses a snippet of composer Richard Wagner’s opera “Tristain und Isolde: Liebestod” as part of the third act.
The opera tells the love story of Tristan and Isolde. Liebestod (death of love) is the last dramatic piece from his 1859 opera. It is the climax of the opera and the point when Isolde sings over Tristan's corpse. Its use is quite appropriate for the film. Also, the use of the song “We’ll Meet Again” as a slow and dismal dirge was inspirational. The quote from the T.S. Eliot poem at the start of the film is used as a preface to what the protagonist experiences.
The short has sort of a lost footage feel to it, but there’s no one left to find it. The unusual and ghostly images that Christian uses are complemented by the interesting sound and music choices. He quite often uses Blender and After Effects software for his visuals. The images he creates seem to display emotion more than a story and are inspired by animals of the abyss. Christian has done a series of films referred to as his “Creatures of” films. There are four in total. In addition to this film and "Creatures of Crepuscule", which I reviewed previously, are “Creatures of the End Time” and “Creatures of the Fog”.
Suffice it to say, there is more going on here than just the visuals. Although only ten minutes in length, the film is actually pretty awesome.
Creatures of Madness"
Creatures of the End Time"
Creatures of the Fog"