Playtime with Schlompkins is an ingenious little horror movie that aims to get under your skin and does. It begins with shaky-camera shots in the woods reminiscent of the scene near the end of The Blair Witch Project when Heather films the sunset. This movie provides the same kind of subjective experience as Blair Witch did, in that it makes the viewer feel as if he or she is trapped in the woods with a monster.

That monster is apparently named Schlompkins, though he never identifies himself as such. He's got white pancake makeup on his face, a smart little golden jacket and a shock of red hair. The thing about Schlompkins is he doesn't respect personal boundaries. He immediately gets all up in our face, and just when we think he's ready to back off, he approaches again with terrifying speed. The editing and sound work in this film will creep you the f**k out.

Schlompkins starts raving about something he's found, and pretty soon he's showing us something awful: his very own human wind-up doll. He even has a key to stick in the poor thing's back. But wait, what's this? This doll is lonely. She needs a friend. Holy s**t, that's us! Let's get the f**k out of here!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!

The movie strikes me as a work of complete originality. I've compared other FetusFilmsInc movies to the work of David Lynch, but I've never seen anything quite like the scene where Schlompkins imitates the voices of his dead grandparents. The lead performance by Austin Keeling is amazing. This is an absolute must-see.