Bag of Tricks is the fourth collaboration between director Michael Coulombe (Safer-At-Home, Santa) and writer Brantley J. Brown (Love Me Not, Soundbite). And once again they’ve turned a well-worn bit of plotting into a fun short.

It’s Halloween and little Timmy (Calisto Thompson) is out trick or treating. His stop at Tiffany’s (Jenna Nolen) apartment is ruined by her boyfriend Ryan (Frank Bernard Smith Jr. III) who pulls a trick of his own and scares him off. Answering a knock on the door a little later Tiffany finds what looks like the boy’s candy bag and brings it inside. But that’s not the only thing she’s let in.

With his bedsheet ghost costume, Timmy brings Halloween’s Shape to mind as he stalks around the apartment, appearing and disappearing with an almost supernatural ease. And what could be a more horrible trick to play on people than leaving candy corn all over their home? Death is preferable to eating that shit.

Bag of Tricks is well shot by Alexander Henderson (The Lady, Sacren). He makes the apartment seem claustrophobic or spacious depending on the scene. It gave me the feeling that Timmy could be anywhere at any moment.

You can check it out for yourself on the Horror House Media YouTube Channel or right here.