You may never look at a styrofoam cup the same way again.

There is very little that I knew about The Killer Cup before popping it in the ole' VHS player (VHS? What's that?) except for the fact that one of the filmmakers contacted me to see if I'd be interested in checking it out for the site. Sure, who am I to refuse? Made by a French Canadian team, The Killer Cup is an inventive and fun 20-minute short film that never overstays its welcome. For whatever reason the film was made, the people behind the scenes are certain to be noticed.

Dialogue is thin, which is good because the spoken language is French here and there are no subs. Never mind the fact that I took French all through Middle and High School as well as Freshman year in college, I still can't speak a lick of it. Anyway, moving on...our story appears to take place on a college campus, a college campus where one particular styrofoam drinking cup has simply had enough. After being smashed and burnt (all he did was bite the nose of an offending drinker) he rallies an army of more cups together in an attempt to take over. Let me tell you, you've never seen so many styrofoam cups (with creepy little faces) lined up in a college lecture hall like this before.

A select few students are forced to fend for their lives against the invasion of the cups, which will not be an easy task as these cups are just about everywhere. They fly out of cabinets and even creep behind you in the bathroom stall. Our fearless styrofoam leader (who appears to be half made of metal after his brush with fire) will stop at nothing to see the "success of the cups" including climbing inside of a human, and taking manual control.

Props go out to the fine folks behind The Killer Cup for crafting a slick and fun little short film. This is the kind of short that I'd love to see as an extra on a DVD, and it would make for a fine piece of pre-show entertainment next time you have a low-key movie night. The use of animation, (sketched and stop motion) in addition to the "puppeteer" aspects of the cups is very fucking clever and effective. Not to worry gorehounds, as there is also some evidence of the red stuff and a few scenes are actually quite gruesome.

If The Killer Cup short shows us one thing, it's promise. Behind the entertaining ideas (you won't believe it when the cups join together to form a "Killer Cup Monster") and inventive special effects, this short works quite well as a showcase for the talents behind the scenes.

If you have the means, seeking out a copy of The Killer Cup is most recommended. I'd be really interested in seeing what these guys are up to next, did someone say Killer Cup Part II?

For more info or to order a copy, send a request for more info via email to JeF at grenier.jef@videotron.ca