Short Film Review: Under The Lather (Sous la Mousse) Watch It On FILMPIXS

Review by Daniel Hess. Sous La Mousse or Under the Lather is a 2020 short film directed by Ollivier Briand. A horror film that combines childlike wonderment with true slasher-style moments of gory glee, Under the Lather, is truly a unique and interesting short to watch. Something is lurking in the pipes as a young boy is having a bad time with his absent babysitter.

She is distant, absorbed in her phone as she pays no mind to the clinging and clanging ever so present. As she invites a boyfriend over for a little naughty playtime, she deposes our young protagonist to the bath where this mysterious creature emerges from the pipe. What happens next is a cross between E.T. and Ghoulies.

A Cross Between E.T. and Ghoulies

There is a lot of smart filmmaking going on in ‘Under the Lather.’ As mentioned, there is an amazing amount of balance that is walked down in the story itself, and it doesn’t go too much into either territory. When it is tender, it hits those notes perfectly, when it is horror again it does it very well.

Trying to go through so many genres and moods is hard enough for a feature film, but here we witness it play out in only 13 minutes. Another great skill this film has is defining these characters quickly, providing an instant empathy for the boy who has a terrible babysitter, and the character of the babysitter being one we could easily dispose of.

Child-Focussed Horror – Under the Lather

There aren’t any wild twists or turns going on, just straightforward storytelling. As you watch the film, it is quite amazing how the creature can at once be so fun and sweet, while also being a horrific killer. It concludes in an epic bloody way that you may see coming, but it is in that final payoff where the film really has the most fun. If you want a bit of bite to your child-focused horror while staying away from something with a little more camp to it, you will find what you are looking for in Under the Lather.

Under The Lather (Sous la mousse) gets

5 nightmare creatures in the tub out of 5

• Under the Lather was acquired as a screener for review purposes.
• Directed and written by Ollivier Brand, this French horror short film can be viewed on FILMPIX.com Get your free trial and watch this film and many other film festival favorites.
• Produced by Capricci Production and distributed by FILMPIXS
• In addition, see the best horror short film for 2021: Stuffed