For his horror short The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne, Steven Adam Renkovish wears many hats, credited with writing, directing, editing, and producing. The film follows Emily Jayne (Brittany Renée), a woman bereft and grief stricken over the loss of her partner, Annabel (Shelby Lynne Willis), who died of cancer. One Halloween she decides to reach out to the spirit of her dearly departed lover in a dark, mystical ritual. With guidance from a witchy woman named Adelia (Jessie Roberts) Emily Jayne conceives a bold, dangerous plan to reunite with Annabel.
The LGBTQ+ aspect of the film is lovely. For most people the idea of two women in deep romantic love is not shocking, nor even noteworthy, but the unnamed small town depicted is infested with backwards people holding intense prejudices. One church lady busybody, played by Lorraine Renkovish, comes to Emily Jayne’s doorstep on Halloween night to insist she give up her wicked ways and come to church or face hellfire. As we know, there’s no hate like Christian love. There is a sweet, poignant sadness in Emily Jayne’s grief, and a frightening creepiness in the intensity of her obsession to reach Annabel in the underworld.
Renkovish shot on Super 8, alternating between color and monochrome. The result is as kitschy as it is retro, with some notable advantages. Super 8 film is famous for its grainy home-movie image and easy-to-load 50-foot cartridges. The 1:1 old-school square television aspect ratio is jarring. This decision could be seen as pretentious, but it does give the film a unique vibe. The viewer sees the action through a foggy haze.
“… One Halloween she decides to reach out to the spirit of her dearly departed lover …”
Renkovish shared his inspiration for using Super 8 : “It’s been a dream of mine to create a Halloween-themed love
story and to shoot it on super 8… I was finally able to realize that dream with the film family that I love dearly. Over the course of two years, during the fall and winter months, we crafted a spooky and unapologetically queer analog mood piece on a gorgeous 55 year old camera. We made memories that we’ll cherish forever.” The soundtrack by Kelly Ward is beautiful, with piano over diaphanous, soaring synth waves.
Cause and effect logic is not the core of the film, with Renkovish focusing instead on sensory impressions and wrenching emotional authenticity. He seems less interested in appealing to a wide audience than he is finding a specific following who will love this film. If you are in that niche demographic, you will be moved and delighted by The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne. However, if you are not, then this is 29 minutes you won’t get back. It is well worth the risk to roll those dice and immerse yourself in the eerie atmospherics to find out.
