In Kyle Hartford’s horror short, Death of an Editor, one wonders if you really want to know the details of your death. Ella (Clare Lefebure) is a reclusive video editor who spends most of her time working and avoiding any personal life. Her problem becomes apparent when Ella’s mother (Annie Gill) calls, wondering when she will come over for a visit. “Happy birthday, Mom!” Ella’s answer is always the same: soon.
One day, while editing footage for a frisbee sport video, she finds a hard drive labeled “Renewal” and a check for $10,000. Curious, she loads the footage and is horrified to see herself buried up to her neck in the middle of a field. Soon after, she realizes that she’s trapped inside her own home, with her door locked from the inside.

“…horrified to see herself buried up to her neck in the middle of a field.”
Ella receives a mysterious phone call from The Client (Aidan Mead), who demands that she edit the footage or not-so-nice things will happen. The client tells her that the footage represents her fate and insists he controls her life now. Ella’s fear deepens as the footage continues to torment her, showing not only her death but also unsettling images of her mother knocked out in her kitchen.
Death of an Editor does exactly what it’s meant to do—come up with an ultra-creepy premise and pay it off. Filmmaker Hartford paces his short film perfectly. An unsuspecting woman receives an ungodly video of her future and is forced to watch each scene of her demise and that of her mother. But how did The Client get this footage, and can it be stopped?
Hartford hits every beat perfectly with Lefebure and Gill’s performances. Now add a spooky soundtrack and a creepy voice on the phone, and we’re done. Masterpiece.
Be sure to check Death of an Editor out on its festival run.