Overview & Context
The Blue Drum, a U.S. horror short released in 2022, marks Angelita Mendoza’s debut as both writer and director, while producer Alicia Herder oversees its production. Running just shy of seventeen minutes, the film first screened October 13, 2022, at the Latino Media Fest-NALIP; three days later it appeared at Screamfest Horror Film Festival, and on August 13, 2023, it was included in the HollyShorts lineup.
Like many independent horror shorts, The Blue Drum has found a home on streaming services, especially on Netflix, where the platform promotes fresh storytellers and underrepresented perspectives.
Synopsis
After her father’s funeral, Leticia, portrayed by Crystal Hernandez, returns to her childhood house and is met by unsettling memories and shadowy forms that seem to echo her grief. As she attempts to process the loss, the air around her thickens with a dread that deepens with each passing moment. What begins as a somber farewell slowly evolves into a haunting review of secrets the family had hoped to leave undisturbed.
Leticia must face not only her father’s spectral image but also the painful echoes of a mother she scarcely remembers. As the paranormal occurrences mount, memories and present events begin to intertwine. The entity pursuing her functions as more than a traditional ghost; it embodies inherited trauma, buried secrets, and the emotional scars left by abandonment.
The narrative builds to a jarring climax in which Leticia can either bury this truth or expose it, placing every assumption about her family in jeopardy.
Cast & Crew
Director / Writer / Editor Angelita Mendoza
Producer Alicia Herder
Executive Producer Ben Lopez
Cinematography Victor Capiz
Original Music David Little
Principal Cast:
Crystal Hernandez as Leticia
Jonathan Medina as Ruben
Judith Scarpone as Norma
Andrea Lopez as Young Leticia
Izabella Limón as Bella
Siddartha Gutierrez as Alex
The tight-knit ensemble heightens the films psychological weight, especially Hernandez, whose nuanced performance grounds the story with believable depth.
Production & Technical Style
The film adopts a spare yet evocative look, using natural light, close angles, and extended takes to pull viewers inside Leticia’s mind. Director Angelita Mendoza clearly understands pacing; instead of jarring jumps, she allows tension to simmer, a decision that pays off with a persistent, low-grade unease that outlasts the brief runtime.
Cinematographer Victor Capiz deepens the story with subtle visual shifts that track Leticia’s mood. Thoughtful use of shadow and tight framing moves the tone from sadness to foreboding without hitting any single note too hard.
This restrained style carries over into editing. Mendoza gives each cut room to breathe, letting the audience assemble Leticia’s backstory piece by piece, not all at once.
David Little’s original score quietly tightens the atmosphere, adding a chill without drowning out the images or dialogue. Fragile and slow, the music mirrors the central character and her fragile world.
Reception—Critical and Viewer Response
Critical Response:
Independent film reviewers and festival jurors have responded warmly to the picture. They single out its atmospheric design, character-centered narrative, and polished technical work. Many critics mention that the film generates strong feelings in only a few minutes and that it treats weighty subjects such as grief, identity, and family trauma with surprising nuance.
One prominent assessment awarded an 8-out-of-10 rating, calling the mood “invitingly eerie,” the direction “terrific,” and the pacing “thoughtfully calibrated.” The writer observed that the film “cleverly ends on a resounding note” and “leaves you wanting more,” a feat rarely accomplished in the short-format world.
Audience Reaction:
Viewer opinions, in contrast, have been more mixed. Supporters praise its emotional honesty and subtle horror beats, particularly those well versed in indie or short-form fare. Many comments remark that the story sidesteps formula and instead unfolds as a more poetic, almost symbolic experience.
Yet a sizable portion feels the motion is too gradual and that scares arrive only in whispers. Some even argue that the brief runtime limits character depth, leaving a larger impact just out of reach. Still, others cherish it as a “snack-sized” emotional thriller—perfect for reflective audiences rather than die-hard seekers of visceral jolts.
The films very divide is both its strength and weakness; its subtlety and measured pacing will not appeal to every viewer, but realisthe honest appreciation of layered storytelling, it strikes a profound chord.
Themes & Interpretation
At heart, The Blue Drum is a psychological probe into memory, grief, and trauma passed down through bloodlines. The title itself acts as a loose metaphor-it can be a fading echo, an empty recollection, or the low boom of feeling thrumming through the family. Much the way drumbeats travel through space, the drama suggests that wounds never stay put; they drift forward, sleeping in the yet-to-be-born.
Leticias quest is thus as much about digging up old secrets as it is about piecing together her own broken self. The supernatural apparitions function as external shadows of her inner distress. Instead of chasing shock, the movie uses its ghostly threads to chart familiar, if unspoken, mental battles.
The films unclear finale leaves watchers to sort the line between dream and truth-an artifice by the director meant to echo the fog we all stumble through when trying to make peace with what we once carried.
Conclusion
The Blue Drum shows that short cinema can pack an emotional punch that stays with the audience long after the credits roll. Guided by steady direction, pitch-perfect acting, and deliberately framed shots, the film builds layers that quietly unfold and resonate.
Strengths: Vibrant atmosphere, compelling central performance, striking visuals, and rich emotional undertow.
Weaknesses: Pacing may feel sluggish or cryptic to mainstream horror viewers; brief duration risks leaving questions unanswered.
All told, The Blue Drum works both as a dark tale and as a meditative look at family ties, memory, and the price of digging up buried truths. Its subtle force marks it as a noteworthy addition to the genre and points to Angelita Mendoza as a distinctive new voice behind the camera.
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