Coming Attractions: The Hatchling

Hello, I wanted to bring to your awareness a short film coming this month and only announced yesterday, called The Hatchling. Not much is known so far besides a score piece being released, but won't stop me from writing about it.

First, the wide beak of the Hatchling and the claws show it's going to have the giant duck-like Deinocherirus as the dinosaur at the heart of it. As someone who loves Deinocheirus and how bizarre it is, I'm on board with seeing it. This probably one of the first appearences of it in fiction as opposed to a non-fiction work like documentaries or books. And of course I'm glad they chose a dino like Deino instead of thw usual Rex or herbivore we've seen a milliomn times in stories like these.

The short also appears to be done in the now-classic 80's throwback style, like a Saurian version of Stranger Things, as evidenced. 1980's throwbacks are so common these days, aren't they? Like, the hand drawn poster style is almost as established a style as the 50's-style monster movie style was in the 80's, and the same goes for plotlines. I'm not complaining, even if I'm surprised people are still milking the decade's aesthetics, and should have moved onto the 90's and early 2000's at this point in my humble opinion.

Oh, and I admit that I thought the poster was AI-generated due to how the characters look... rather awkward at best, a major no-no in my book. The more I look at the rather good design of the dinos though, I'm starting second guess that.

If I had to guess the plot based solely on the poster alone, I would assume that it's about a bunch of friends in the 80's who find a lost baby Deinocheirus, take it in and mischief occurs when it gets loose and try to keep it a secret, and then the Hatchling's parent shows up and all hell breaks loose. There's probably also going to be a businessman baddy if runtime allows it (remember its a short, not as feature length film). I also think won't nessicarily be a horror work, but a modstly comedic work with the occasional (if intense) scary moment, which you see in both 80's films and the throwbacks inspired by them.

I think it would be funny if since Deinocheirus was only known from a pair of huge claws and nothing else, the characters didm't even know the Hatchling was a dinosaur or didn't recognise them.... Though this is assuming it takes place in the 1980's. Also, look at the characters' faces.

I don't know if it's the art style, nor is it likely accurate to what the characters will look like, but if these are supposed to be kids or teens (bar one or even the majotity of them) they look way too old, so maybe there will be a joke that the kids are played by actors way older then should be and clearly look so.

EDIT: The Teaser Trailer for The Hatchling was released on Friday the 13th, and apparently releases on the 17th! So soon it hurts!

It dorsn't reveal much, but it does reveal the Deinocheirus designs for the short, and they look excellent (though I would prefer a few more longer feathers on it)

Also, one brief shot shows a flatscreen monitor, which did not exist in the 80's on a commercial scale, so this probably isn't a Stranger Things-esque period piece, but rather a homage to the style of the stories, as I presume a low budget prevented a time setting from being realised. I'm a bit let down by that, I admit, but I'm in no position to dismiss the production based off that.

Whatever The Hatchling is about, I look forward to it the day it comes out. You can never go wrong with Deinocherus.

... Usually.

And don't worry, the month's main post is being worked on right now. And a full review of The Htchling will come... some other time after it, I promise.

Sources

• The production's website