Brendan Jesus
[adult swim] has long held a special place in my heart. From airing reruns of American Dad and Family Guy, to its original programming of shows like Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell and The Eric Andre Show, they have stayed on the front line of absurd and irreverent comedy. They’ve been known for pushing the envelope while seamlessly creating content that blurs the lines of all genres. Their subtle, minimalist title card is nothing more than a black background with small white text, which is the perfect juxtaposition for the weirdness that is to ensue over the next few hours of programming.
There was, however, a second aspect of [adult swim] I only found out about a few years ago: their YouTube page. On television, [adult swim] is constrained, to an extent, by certain FCC guidelines. As a result, there are certain lines they are not allowed to cross. On YouTube, though? That is a slightly different story. The [adult swim] YouTube page is chock full of some of the weirdest, craziest, zaniest, creepiest short films around. Yes, these short films have millions of views, but I feel like trying to bring them up in conversations is often met with blank stares. So, I wanted to take some time to highlight some of my favorite [adult swim] short films! (These are in no particular order, with the exception of the last one on the list.)
Broomshakalaka (Written by Justin Becker and Steve Clemmons, Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)
The first installment on this list is the least horror-related of the bunch, but it still does check off a few boxes. Brooomshakalaka is a supernatural black comedy short about salesman Denny Boffa (Mike McCafferty) who is desperately trying to sell his new invention, which is an all-purpose broom; from a built-in vacuum to a built-in Izmel for easy circumcisions, this broom[shakalaka] has it all! Throughout the short, Denny constantly mentions his daughter who passed away, and the fact that this broom can save you 9 hours a year on everyday tasks! He soon mentions that if he sells enough brooms it will be the equivalent of saving one human life…and upon doing so his daughter comes back to life!
As stated, this is definitely the least horror of the lot, but it is a bloody, hysterical mess that will make you laugh and cringe from beginning to end. The real kicker is when his daughter comes back to life, and, after losing too much blood, the broom-in-the-ass salesman does as well. Overall, this is a darkly comic short film that horror fans and comedy fans can easily find common ground on.
May I Please Enter (Written and Directed by Alan Resnick)
May I Please Enter is the first of two Alan Resnick vehicles on this list, and for good reason. Alan Resnick is one hell of a comedian and creator. His career really kicked off with the insanely captivating alantutorial, and from there he has become a god of eccentric, haunting, and just plain weird content. Resnick made his way to [adult swim] when he pitched his and Ben O’Brien’s short Live Forever as You Are Now with Alan Resnick. From there, the rest is history.
This was the first [adult swim] short film I had ever seen, and I was immediately blown away. After watching all of alantutorial, I decided to do a deep dive into the series to learn more about the creator. Upon learning of Alan Resnick, I immediately jumped onto YouTube and searched his name…and this was the first thing that popped up.
May I Please Enter is about a cowboy (Alan Resnick), who sees a house from the street that is “one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen.” After going up and knocking on the door, two people answer. Alan asks—though it seems more like a demand that ends with a question mark—if he can enter. With some trepidation, the homeowners let him in. Alan has this ominous aura about him and talks to a camera that isn’t there…or, if it is, the homeowners don’t acknowledge it once. The house and its owners are just plain weird. There is a weird cosmic horror-like creature that resides on the ground and which the homeowners refer to as a weapon. There’s also the third person who lives in their house, who either has a bunch of dead bodies in his room or tons of people who are passed out.
This short film is just flat-out weird and strange, complemented immensely by Resnick’s purposefully static acting. If you have never seen an [adult swim] short film, this is a great one to start with, as it really sets the vibe of their shorts.
Unedited Footage of a Bear (Written by Alan Resnick, Dina Kelberman, and Robby Rackleff; Directed by Alan Resnick and Ben O’Brien)
Out of all of the [adult swim] shorts, this one is definitely the most horror-related one of all. What starts out as, well, unedited footage of a bear, quickly goes off the rails. Moments into this short, an advertisement countdown timer starts, which looks dangerously close to a real YouTube ad timer. This ad starts out as what seems like a regular ad for allergy medication, though you will soon realize this isn’t actually an ad and is part of the short. After rattling off a list of side effects from the medicine, the mother (Jacqueline Donelli) continues driving as the narrator is slowly drowned out. She passes a grisly crime scene and comes upon a sweater that looks identical to hers in the street. CUT TO the mother seeing a doppelganger down the street who sprints at her with full speed. What follows is just top-tier horror.
As stated, this one is definitely straight horror and doesn’t fail to deliver on some really creepy images. It leaves me wondering how many people stumbled upon this video thinking it was actually footage of a bear and were completely caught off guard? Resnick and O’Brien completely nail the directing in this, proving they could easily make a horror film and that it would most likely be fantastic. If you’re looking for a straight-up horror short, this is the one for you.
Too Many Cooks (Written and Directed by Casper Kelly)
Long live Smarf.
Too Many Cooks is one of the weirdest and most entertaining things I have ever seen in my life. What starts as sitcom opening credits, ends as…well, sitcom opening credits. It’s hard to describe this, as little to nothing happens, except we keep getting introduced to more and more characters. The entire 11 minutes is just character introductions!. One of the greatest characters introduced is Lars von Trier as “Pie,” and it is literally just a pie. That’s absolutely brilliant.
The horror comes in a strange way, as you’ll soon notice there is a man popping up in multiple shots. This man is The Killer (William Tokarsky), who does exactly that: kill. Slowly, The Killer starts invading scenes, hacking and slashing his way through the cast. This all leads up to a life or death moment for Smarf. Honestly, this is one of those shorts that you should go into as blindly as possible and just appreciate the experience for what it is!
