One Road Out

Directed by Frank Howell/Alexander J Rose 

2025

Alpha Shortreels

"Welcome to Mosspoint".

A strange island with a mysterious aura is the focus of a new 30-minute short film where a community is plagued by disappearing inhabitants and horrific goings-on.

We are introduced to Sadie (Naomi Elizabeth) who’s in a rush but receives a call that informs her she was unsuccessful at her recent job interview. Without time to dwell on her disappointment she brushes past a sinister looking hooded man, before arriving at a nearby community centre where there are greater woes facing the area.

A packed room of locals listen to a police press conference which explains that 3 young people have gone missing alongside an old lady from a care home. Whilst most of the community are concerned, some are not so bothered including the arrogant Michael (Frank Howell). Yet one woman, Maggie (Tammy Heath), recalls the loss of her own son who disappeared 10 years ago, having been affected by the area’s strange local island.

As they establish a search party, we cut to Maggie at night who is attacked by a small boy in a similar hooded mask as seen earlier. And whilst looking at the island, Michael is shocked to find himself engulfed in an ominous flare of light in his house. Another odd event sees a woman drawn to a hazy glow after the electrics in her home fail.

One Road Out is a brilliantly shot short for sure. The cinematography is excellent with a rich colour tone and expertly composed landscapes. And with a mix of tracking, drone and intense close-ups, there’s a real professionalism on show throughout. The sound mix is good as well, balancing the different SFX, dialogue, score and frightful moments very well.

“What’s going on?”, asks Michael later in the film. And he has a point. For me, the story struggles by creating confusion as to the logic of the island. Does it turn people to killers? What is the light? Why does it turn off electrics? What is the weird sound some people hear? Why does it draw people to it? Why does it affect some and not others?

It seems to have every mystical power the filmmakers conveniently need during particular scenes. That’s not to say a mystery film shouldn’t have some mystery. And intentionally ambiguous to keep up interest and allow for interpretation. But here, it seemed quite random. And this made it difficult to build suspense between scenes.

Remember Hitchcock's quote about suspense, with the filmmaking concluding “that whenever possible the public (viewer) must be informed”.

As the story continues, Michael - now convinced something is going on and armed in cricket gear to warn off this evil spirit it seems - goes on the run to warn others. And Sadie’s evening with Anthony (Shaun Harper) takes a bad turn too as he now gets possessed (?!).

Soul-sucking, zombie-faces and physical attacks are further demonic elements added which add to the befuddlement, but tension is raised well during the film’s climax as our resourceful heroes begin to fight back and plan an escape via a handy vehicle.

Despite the above, overall the balance of all the filmmaking elements on show here just about holds it together. As although the randomness of the island’s power may cause confusion, the ensemble group of actors give it their everything and the technical elements are all superb and show first-rate movie-making skills.

With a little more focus on the island's lore and some further development of characterisation, One Road Out could have pushed itself into a more narratively satisfying and cohesive tale of monstrous dread. Nevertheless, it does still deliver a handful of dangerous events and scary moments. And these provide enough intrigue to maintain an audience's attention as it explores a haunted community impacted by a multitude of threats.

★★★★

4 / 5

Michael Sales

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