Tom Jolliffe reviews the short film Jenny Ringo and the Cabaret From Hell…
Here at Flickering Myth we like to do our bit for the UK film and TV industry and frankly those aspiring to do something a little different, and a little outside the box, who need a leg up wherever possible. From aspiring writer-director Christopher Regan comes a potential series of short films based around the central character Jenny Ringo. One short, Jenny Ringo and the Monkey’s Paw has already hit the web. It’s well worth checking out, with the titular character and her lazy, unemployed roommate Gavin getting into all sorts of black magic trouble thanks to a severed monkey paw. It’s a weird, likeable mixture of dark, quirky humour and musical numbers, with the odd animated sequence.
The Cabaret From Hell once again follows a similar formula. A bit of magic leads to a lot of problems. When Gavin can’t get a job as a Cabaret singer because he’s not a woman, Jenny (a witch in training) tries to give him a temporary sex change, which doesn’t go entirely to plan. However he gets the gig. Little does he know he’s about to be put up on stage by a demon MC who, along with the watching zombie audience, will feast on his talent and soul. Yes it really is as bizarre as it sounds. So Jenny must find a way to save her friend and get the pair of them out of the Cabaret from Hell.
It’s refreshing to see a short that doesn’t take itself too seriously or get lost in a sea of pretension. It’s barmy, but funny and both Rosie Duncan and Lukas Habberton make for likeable leads. There are hints of Spaced, dashes of The League of Gentleman and like the first film, there are musical numbers and animated interludes. Elsewhere here, Andromeda Godfrey is awesome for two reasons: firstly for being called Andromeda and secondly for performing the villain role with such relish. Christophe Phillips as the mysterious Gabriel, who helps Jenny is also decent. Certainly there’s potential here to make a watchable sitcom. Given a lot of the dross littering the terrestrial channels of late, especially in terms of comedy, it would make a refreshing change to have something with a bit more imagination, and some good quirky humour. With two solid leads in place it would need a couple of standout regulars and then the usual episodic mix of weird characters.
Technically the film looks polished. The Brighton locales look good whilst the location manager and production and set designers have done a good job of creating a Cabaret from Hell. The musical numbers work, the animation is simplistic but enjoyable. It’s well paced, tightly edited but most importantly fun.
So take a look at www.jennyringo.com to watch the first film. Subscribe to the mailing list in order to see The Cabaret From Hell upon its release on June 18th.
Tom Jolliffe
Originally published June 6, 2013. Updated November 6, 2019.
