Bank Robberies Have Consequences

Bank Robberies Have Consequences

Bruce Von Stiers

Elmer is a short film that lists itself as a tale of crime. But that is only part of the story.

The film begins at an amusement park. There is a haunted house ride called Haunted Inferno. On this ride, people get to see three mannequins in nooses, hanging from the ceiling. But one of those mannequins is really something else.

The film then unfolds in the late 1800's in a town called Sugar Springs. Elmer is a bank robber who decides to rob the Sugar Springs Bank. He escapes with the loot, thinking he's evaded capture. But he dies in a shoot-out with a posse.

Nobody will claim Elmer's body, not even his girlfriend. So, the town's doctor embalms Elmer and puts him up for display. At a nickel per viewing.

From there, Elmer's embalmed corpse sees different venues along a varied timeline, including being an attraction of the Haunted Inferno. His body may be embalmed, but his spirit is still alive and kind of nasty.

There are a couple of decent bits of special effects in the film. One is where Elmer blows out the windows in the bank, having used dynamite to open the bank's safe. The other shows Elmer's bullet riddled body at the doctor's office.

Sean Bolger played Elmer. His credits include a recurring role on The InBetween and appearances on In The Night, Criminal Minds and Animal Kingdom.

W. Scott Kindrick played the doctor. He's had roles in a few short films and appeared in an episode of Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death.

Other actors appearing in the film included Tony A. Sims, Michael Ursu, Nichola Flynn and Kelsey Zukowski as Elmer's girlfriend.

Elmer was written and directed by Stephen J. Anderson. He was the animation director for several episodes of Young Love and was a story artist for Frozen, Frozen II, Moama, Wreck-It Ralp and many other animated projects. Anderson was also the supervising director for five episodes of Disney's Monsters At Work. And he directed the now classic Meet The Robinsons.

The cinematographer was Justin Duval. He was a camera operator and gaffer for one hundred episodes of Superstore. He was also the cinematographer for a couple of episodes of American Auto.

The film's producer was Richard Turke. He has directed films such as Forgotten and Visible Scars. The production companies involved in the film were Ogma Films and Neppitz Productions.

James Eakin composed music for the film. He also composed music for the thriller films Cut To The Chase and Visible Scars.

Other behind-the-scenes people included Denise Howard, Jen Winstead, and David A.L. Venable. Ariel R. Kaplan, who worked on Furious 7, Game Night and Black Panther, was the production designer for this film. Tyler O' Hal was in charge of special effects.

Writing about his vision for the film, Anderson constantly searches for nuance beyond what he had done in the past, pushing his limits. He feels that the film is a representation of that effort.

Elmer is supposed to be inspired by true events. I do know that carnivals have had some very strange attractions. And people's morbid fascination with corpses, have always been a money maker. So the doctor showing off Elmer's embalmed body for a nickel per view is well within the realm of possibilities. ho

Elmer has a good cast, a very entertaining story and cinematography that is crisp and clear. I enjoyed the film, but wished that that Elmer's backstory could have been explored a bit. And how Elmer's corpse ended up at the various locations shown in the film. But that would have greatly expanded the film's length. So, maybe adding those elements might be more fitted for a lengthy short film or possibly a feature film.

Currently, Elmer is a featured selection at the 2024 Santa Clarita International Film Festival.

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