2023 Short Film: Toad Boy

• Directed by Phillip J. McLaughlin
• Written by Phillip J. McLaughlin
• Stars Clif Chamberlain, James Hoelzel, Tamir Tucker
• Run Time: 12:36
• Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvYnNWIvAtQ

What Happens

Someone wrote “Toad Boy” on Todd’s locker, and when the school janitor goes to wash it off, he finds something strange inside. This leads to the principal calling Todd’s parents– there have been some bullying incidents in the past, and Todd hasn’t come to school recently because of that. The principal eventually decides he needs to do a home visit, and things get even weirder from there. 

Commentary

A Charlotte talks to the principal in the basement, the audio was muffled badly enough I had to turn the subtitles on. Other than that, it’s really good. It looks like a tale of planned retribution, but it turns out to be much more than that. It looks good, the makeup effects are excellent, and the whole plot is just… messed up.