Content Advisory:
The Hot Docs 2023 Nightvision Shorts Program considsts of unexpected and unexplained films about hauntings, from the Penobscot Nation to Aleister Crowley’s villa, TikTok tics, a ghostly glitch, spirit poop and naked pagans jumping through fiery hoops.
Belongings
Morgan Talty is a man from the Penobscot Indian Nation, recounting the ghostly experiences he encountered in his mother’s house. Probably the most notable of these stories is of a “ghost turd” found on the bed. Running at only 10 minutes in length, Belongings will probably not convinced you of the paranormal, but it does end emotionally with Morgan reading a letter from his mother.
3.5/5
Retrodreaming
Built around a repetitive tape recording about a secret sleep study, Retrodreaming is a mix of performance art and ghost story. The film consists of a dancer moving around the abandoned Sawada Elementary School in Nakanojo, Japan. The narration of the film is based on ghost stories from the area. This film has an interesting presentation to say the least.
3.5/5
Believing Is Seeing
Sociologist Dr Robert Bartholomew talks about his belief that social media use has caused an increase in Mass Psychogenic Illness, where people masses of people come to believe they are sick. The primary case study is the phenomenon of “TikTok Tics,” where TikTok users document their Tourette-like symptoms. By contrasting Robert Bartholomew’s admittedly tech-phobic opinions with those who actually are suffering from Tics, Believing is Seeing leaves a lot to think about in its 11-minute runtime.
4/5
House of the Wickedest Man in the World
The ruined building of Vila Santa Barbara, near the city of Cefalú in Sicily, was home in the 1920s to the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley. House of the Wickedest Man in the World consists predominantly of static shots of the titular house, as narration tells its stories, including how filmmaker Kenneth Anger came to the house in the 1950s. Interesting in a historical sense, but not particularly engaging as a film.
3/5
A Third Testament
A group of friends gather for a hedonistic getaway in the wilderness. Running at 36 minutes, A Third Testament builds from this group frolicking naked on a pier to “entering the world of beasts” and going full Pagan during a thunderstorm. Not quite sure what to think of this one.
3/5