[Review] We Got A Monkey's Paw Is Solid Horror Comedy

You never know what to expect with a short film. Trailers and advertisers have to spoil so much in features that they soften comedy and scares. But with shorts, you can just dive in and get the full effect. We Got a Monkey’s Paw is an award-winning horror comedy that clocks in at eight minutes but packs in a bucketful of laughs.

Jakki (Jacqueline Jandrell) is looking to move out of her apartment because roommate Zack (Zackary Ogle, co-writer) is obsessed with the occult. She wants a quiet night, but Zack wants an adventure. Enter a classic monkey’s paw grants wishes but they go awry situation.

The dialogue and jokes fly fast and heavy with two characters who know all the tropes already. There’s an incredible amount of horror references and real world occultism featured in the short that begs for a rewatch.

Directed and co-written by Aaron Pagniano, you can tell this was a passion project put together by some talented friends.

After a two-year festival run, We Got A Monkey’s Paw is now available on YouTube via Alter. I was unfamiliar with Alter, but it’s a curator of exclusive horror shorts. I’m excited to discover a whole new well of content since my quarantine viewing has occasionally been some pretty bottom of the barrel material.

Troy’s Takeaway: Watch We Got A Monkey’s Paw and try not to laugh. I double dog dare you.

You can check it right now below or on Alter’s YouTube channel.