Marketers are all about the short horror film this Halloween. Fox and Mars rolled out their great two-minute “Bite Size Horror” films a few weeks ago, and Hulu went even longer with its “Huluween” shorts. Now, it’s Xfinity’s turn.
The Comcast cable brand just unveiled its own five-minute horror short, titled “The Neighborhood,” developed by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and written and directed by Dante Ariola of production company MJZ.
The tale concerns a spooky old mask, made out of a burlap sack, that seems to be making the rounds in one suburban neighborhood on Halloween. But those gifted with it quickly come to regret their mysterious new present.
Xfinity’s role in the story also becomes clear very quickly:
It’s very well made, even if the story isn’t particularly original—masks having been central to so many horror villains, from Leatherface to Jason Voorhees to Michael Myers. There have also been films where evil masks take over their wearers.
The product placement, too, feels a bit shoehorned in, and reminds us how nice it was that the Fox/Mars films didn’t have anyone munching on Skittles or Snickers. The Comcast film does afford ample views of the Xfinity Home security product, though, and we have a fairly good idea by the end of how it works. (Rest assured that if your home life goes to hell, it will record every second of it.)
Kudos to Comcast, though, for going long-form like this. It’s been a fun trend to see this year, and the executions have generally been outstanding. The film will run on Xfinity’s social channels.
CREDITS
Client: Xfinity Home
Title of Creative Work: The Neighborhood
SVP, Brand Marketing and Communications: Peter Intermaggio
SVP, Brand Marketing: Todd Arata
SVP and GM, Xfinity Home: Daniel Herscovici
Executive Director, Social Marketing: Nader Ali-Hassan
Director, Xfinity Home, New Business: Josephine Valenti
Senior Manager, Social Marketing: Monica Blake
Senior Manager, Marketing Communications: Kristin Filipovits
Ad Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Creative
Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson
Creative Directors: Jeff Gillette, Jens Waernes, Jon Wolanske
Associate Creative Director: Eamonn Dixon
Associate Creative Director: Daniel Grech
Associate Creative Director: Mike Costello
Art Director: Sean Smith
Copywriter: Dan Berenson
Production
Executive Producer: Benton Roman
Director of Broadcast Production: Tod Puckett
Account Services
Managing Partner: Leslie Barrett
Group Account Director: Jason Bedecarre
Account Director: Georgia Newton
Account Manager: Greta Naas
Assistant Account Manager: Carmen Guan
Communication Strategy
Group Content Strategy Director: Nick Reggars
Senior Communication Strategist: Alex Oztemel
Strategist: Madison Cameron
Business Affairs
Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra
Business Affairs Manager: Jaime Szefc
Production Company
Company name: MJZ
Writer/Director: Dante Ariola
Director of Photography: Gyula Pados
Production Designer: Chilly Nathan
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Producer: Natalie Hill
Editorial Company
Company name: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Adam Pertofsky
Assistant Editor: Marjorie Sacks
Producer: Dre Krichevsky
Executive Producer: Rana Martin
Finishing/VFX
Company name: The Mill
Creative Director/Lead VFX Artist: Tara DeMarco
Creative Director: Chris Knight
Executive Producer: Enca Kaul
Senior Producer: Erin Hicke
Producer: Adam Goins
Telecine
Company name: The Mill
Colorist: Fergus McCall
Color Producer: Rochelle Brown
Music & Sound Design
Company name: Q Department
Mix
Company name: Lime Studios
Mixer: Rohan Young
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
