Scotty’s Horror Short Showcase: ‘Do Not Open’

Written by Scott Edwards 

It is natural to be curious about things, shoot that is what makes us who we are. Asking questions and looking for answers is part of our nature, since there really should be nothing that we cannot find an answer to these days. But our curiosity can come at a price, as asking too many questions can be a bad thing, especially if the answers are not what we are looking for. Make sure to put a limit on how deep you want to delve into a subject or you might find that the answers are much worse than you could have ever expected.
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Lying on her couch, a woman is almost asleep when she hears a rapping on the door. Opening the door to find no one there, she sees a note posted on her door that her delivery has been made. Not seeing anything in the hallway, she shrugs it off, but when she looks back into her living room she sees something that is very out of place. A black altar sits in the middle of her room and looking around for anyone that could have put it there, she finds no one yet again. Looking at the strange shrine sitting in her room, the woman is shocked to see it open by its own accord with a special note inside.

Looking inside the altar, the woman spots a little black box inside with a note attached that says ‘Do Not Open’. Mouthing these words, the woman gives pause as she looks around her apartment once again to find that there is no one watching, so she figures, what could go wrong? Unhooking the clasp on the front of the box, the woman waits another moment to see if anyone is watching, and being comfortable that she is all alone, she proceeds to open the box. As a vicious eruption leaves the box as it is opened, the woman finds out first hand why it should have stayed shut, but will she be able to pass this note on?

This is a pretty simple little horror short that delivers on the main message, if the box says, ‘do not open’, you probably should not open it. As the story is paced very quickly, it is easy to see where the quick pauses add a nice effect to the story telling, even though you might know what is coming. I liked how the hesitation takes place when receiving the strange package, and before opening it to see what is housed inside. With a mysterious knock, a note, a strange black altar, a black box urging not to be opened, a strange curiosity and some spot on CGI, this story will make you think twice about following the directions of a stranger, especially if you want to know what is hiding out in a small box. Stay Scared.

See ‘Do Not Open’ on Amazon Prime. 

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