Nothing is scarier than pop fans on the internet.
That is the idea behind the home invasion thriller “Rat!” by Neal Suresh Mulani. It is now streaming on Short of the Week’s YouTube channel, and you can also watch it at the end of this article. It might inspire you to get your own script ready for the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
Navin is a disgruntled queer journalist for a music website. He makes a video on social media calling out pop star Wally Max, criticizing his attempts to cater to the LGBT community as insincere. This statement has gone viral and has been praised by many, but it didn’t come without backlash. Many of Wally’s fans are angry, and demand he takes the video down. And some of them are willing to actually come to his house and make this happen in person.
Tyler Joseph Ellis, Manny Spero, and Coleen Tutton as the invaders in “Rat!”
The Worst Fandom
This is a satire on the toxicity of online culture and music fandom taken to real-world extremes. It is a concept that sounds ridiculous (people attacking somebody because he criticized their favorite pop star) but one that seems entirely possible, especially if you spend a lot of time on social media.
Navin’s strife is made more sympathetic by the fact that his statements were completely reasonable. He raised legitimate criticism, and related it to society ignoring actual queer artists. And, in general, most people seem to agree with it. None of that stopped these people.
We see very little of the actual pop star Wally Max, but they have still gone out of their way to create a legacy for him that still feels rich. It includes a song, part of a music video, several reaction TikToks, and some tabloid pictures. And it all comes across as appropriately shallow, but not so much to be over-the-top or unbelievable.
The short has many comedic moments, but the overall feel for much of the second half is stress. You are essentially watching an innocent man being stalked over nothing, by people who stupidly believe that he deserves it. Defending the honor of somebody who probably doesn’t even know that they or even Navin exists.
What Makes It Killer?
“Rat!” is a satire on internet culture and fandom, that despite its often comedic tone, manages to be tense.
If you disagree with anything in this review, please don’t come to my house.
Watch it below.
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