Writer-director Sean Breathnach’s horror short, Don’t Open the Box, confirms that if you open your door at night and there’s a mysterious package, then re-read the title.
John Ryan Howard plays Mike, a father who is up at night working from home. His first mistake is to respond to the late-night doorbell ring. His second mistake is then taking the mysterious package at the front door into the house. At least he had enough sense to check on his daughter’s safety upstairs. Curiosity gets the best of Mike, so he opens the package and potentially unleashes something sinister.

“…he opens the package and potentially unleashes something sinister.”
Don’t Open the Box is tight and efficient, running just under four minutes. Breathnach does a good job of building suspense, creating the ominous visitor, and playing around with cool off-the-shelf special effects. It’s a good step for a filmmaker wanting to enter the horror genre. The film’s only weakness is that the narrative and lore of the box don’t dive into its backstory or why this house was chosen. In the end, you really want something more than a straightforward plot.
For screening information about Don’t Open the Box, visit the Irish Horror website.