Quite a good short film that I saw on the DVD Experiments in Terror.

A tomboyish little girl angers her strict, elderly mother by ruining her dress and playing with small animals. However, by making the lessons cruel ones, the mother is either pushing the child to the breaking point or making the child cruel herself.

Not having read the short story this was based on, I was a little puzzled by the fact that one of the characters was played by an actor by the first name of "Calvin." The actors' names were given without indicating which played which role. Could the tomboyish little girl who's punished for playing with frogs and climbing trees have been a boy who's being raised as a girl? Looking up information about the story online, it seems that is so. There was also another short film (but much longer than this one) adapting the story and sharing its title: Miss Gentilbelle (1999) directed by Tara Miele. It's not on IMDb at the moment.

I'm rather curious to read some of Charles Beaumont's work now - I see one collection that has his stories introduced by the Mathesons, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Roger Corman, and many other noteworthies. Clearly a well-regarded writer!

The horror genre features stories that aim to elicit fear, suspense, and a sense of dread in its audience. Horror stories often explore themes related to the unknown, the supernatural, and the macabre, and they frequently evoke strong emotional reactions such as anxiety, terror, and unease.

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Young Ursula plays in a tree and ruins her fancy dress. Her elderly mother teaches her a cruel lesson about whether things can ever be mended; what Ursula learns about how to behave may not be what her mother intended.

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