For We Are Many review: Each year Arrow Video Frightfest hosts three short film showcases, but this year with For We Are Many, they sneak in a secret fourth.
Hex Studios
Produced by Hex Studios, For We Are Many is an anthology film based around demons, specifically Legion. It features thirteen stories from a mixture of filmmakers including Paddy Murphy (The Perished), Gavin Robertson, Carlos Omar De Leon, Mark Logan, Andrew Ionides, Thomas Stainton, Keith Robson, Alex Harron, Mitch Wilson, and Brad Watson. The shorts feature all manner of demons including a wendigo, and of course the devil.
The structure of For We Are Many is fairly straightforward; we see a character happen upon Legion who begins to tell him stories. This is the last time we see this set-up until the end, the stories flowing into one another with just a page marker from Legion’s book show. Each page depicts a different demon, one that takes centre stage for the following story. It’s a simple technique, but one that works. Anthology films often get too bogged down in the ‘connecting’ story and precious screen time is taken up with something as trivial as them putting a new VHS tape in the machine. Here we just flit from one story to another almost seamlessly, maintaining the tension or horror set-up by the proceeding film, with no time to calm down.
Hex Studios
As with any anthology, some films shine brighter than others, and whilst For We Are Many doesn’t really have any bad segments, Bad Company, Eli’s House, Intervention and Breathe stick around in your mind long after viewing. Brad Watson’s Night Train also deserves a mention as it adds an unexpected, almost science fiction, slant to his tale of demons. Yes, science-fiction and demons, For We Are Many covers every facet of horror and time. There are period-set stories and modern ones; nothing is off-limits; the filmmakers have all been given free reign.
An interesting and diverse range of short films, For We Are Many races along at a breakneck pace and feels almost like it’s over before it has even begun. With several sections worthy of feature film expansion, For We Are Many is a treasure trove of demonic delights.
For We Are Many was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest 2019.
