Mike Diva’s short film Thresher made some noise last year as part of Legendary Pictures’ House of Horrors contest on YouTube, creating 7 minutes of creeping tension as time ticks away for a man locked in a room with only one way out. Heavily inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Diva’s short is a wonderful example of claustrophobic horror feeling big, tense and horrifying.

The film opens with classical music swallowing a small room, overlaying certain horror with a beautiful tune. A man, trapped and distraught, is faced with a door covered in locks and time dwindling. It’s a gorgeous looking effort from Diva, who makes a small confined room feel big, using tension and shadows to drive his short into skin-crawling territory. This is a fantastic little film, so I hope you guys dig it!

In Thresher, a man locked in a room with only one way out faces inter-dimensional terror.

It stars Nick Gregorio and was written by Mike Dahlqvist, Jan-Michael Losada, Sam Shapson, George “Maddox” Oz, Jackson Lanzig, Collin Kelly. Check it out below and find more short films like Thresher by visiting the Short Round!