A skeptical older brother protects his younger sibling when something haunts their home. LATCHKEY is used with permission from Quinn Fluet. Learn more at https://quinnfluet.wixsite.com/sidestfilms. Connor is watching over his younger brother Henry for the day. Henry is ill and keeps insisting that he hears noises in the home that sound spooky. But Connor is skeptical, thinking his younger sibling is making a big deal out of nothing and is being dramatic. But Connor also begins to notice strange things happening: his keys are moved from where he placed them. These suspicions and fears come to a head when Henry calls Connor in a panic, believing the house is under attack. When Connor arrives, he discovers Henry's fears are all too real -- and it's up to him to keep them safe. Directed by Quinn McHugh Fluet from a script written by Jack Caron, who also plays the lead role of Connor, this horror short has an almost old-fashioned sense of thrills and chills. Instead of creating spectacles of violence or developing a high-concept premise, the storytelling leverages the weaving of uncertainty, doubt and misinterpretation to generate suspense and tension, making for a satisfyingly creepy watch. Finely written, edited and directed, the film has a low-key, relaxed naturalism in its visuals, reflecting the story's grounding in a relatable, everyday reality. The heart of it is the relationship between the brothers, painted here as a seemingly wiser, skeptical older brother and a more vulnerable younger one, who keeps insisting he's hearing and seeing things. Connor chalks this up to animals and Henry's overactive imagination and he doesn't take Henry seriously. As the brothers, actor Caron and Jordan Duffy have a believable tug between exasperation and affection, capturing too how siblings can often not quite listen to each other, responding instead of a dynamic instead of a person. But soon Connor has his doubts, which come to a head with Henry's call. In many ways, the film is a masterclass in the power and effectiveness of film directing, taking the seemingly grounded and simple dramatic ingredients of the storytelling and elevating them with sound, editing and imagery to a pitch of dread and suspense. As Connor realizes that his brother is indeed right about the strange noises, the power of the storytelling pulls viewers into the uncertainty the brothers experience as their home is invaded by the strange presence. Based on a true story, LATCHKEY ends with a simple answer to the question of who the "ghost" is. It appeals as a nicely well-told story, but it also illustrates the dangers of not believing people when they tell us something is wrong. Connor thinks Henry is being dramatic, but by minimizing Henry's perspective altogether, Connor also overlooks the real possibility of a threat close to home. Henry might have misinterpreted the noises as ghosts, but the noises are still real -- and still able to threaten their safety and security.