Axxixa

Directed by Daniel Aaron Torres

Warning – This review may contain spoilers.

Axxixa centers around David (Onias Snuka) who steals from a sacred altar and faces deadly consequences at the hands of a shaman (Daniel Torres Sr). The film sets up a familiar supernatural revenge scenario, and while there are some genuinely eerie moments, especially involving the shaman and the cultist/skinwalker played by Lucia Torres, the overall narrative felt a bit rushed to me. David’s motivations for the theft were unclear, and the supporting characters, including Nicole (Mackenlie Barr) and Lulu (Gabi Cuascut), didn’t get enough development to make me care about their fates. I found the shaman to be the most interesting and compelling character, but the rest of the cast seemed underutilized, which made it difficult to fully engage with the story.

The strongest element of the film was its sound design by Matt Copeland. The score added tension and worked well to enhance the horror tone. However, I was disappointed by the cinematography and the lighting choices. Many of the night scenes were too dark, obscuring important moments and making it hard to follow the action. The lighting could have been much more effective in highlighting key character interactions, particularly in the supernatural moments. As for the cinematography, it felt a bit flat and uninspired. More dynamic camera work or creative angles could have added much-needed energy to the film, particularly in the more intense scenes.

The editing was another area where I felt the film could have been stronger. The transitions between scenes were a bit abrupt, and smoother cuts, like J-cuts or L-cuts, could have helped the pacing. I felt the editing didn’t fully capture the tension that the story was aiming for, which weakened the overall impact. While the sound and score worked well, the issues with lighting and editing kept pulling me out of the film’s atmosphere.

Onias Snuka as David delivered a solid performance, but without more character development, it was hard to connect. Lucia Torres’ portrayal of the cultist/skinwalker was eerie and contributed to the horror vibe, but her role wasn’t fully fleshed out. Daniel Torres Sr. stood out the most as the shaman, adding a sinister presence to the story, but I would have loved to see more interaction between him and the other characters to elevate the tension.

Axxixa had the potential to be a stronger horror short, but it felt underdeveloped in both its story and technical execution. While the film has some effective creepy moments, it would benefit from tighter editing, better lighting, and more dynamic cinematography. Horror fans might appreciate the atmosphere, but I think there’s more potential here that wasn’t fully realized.