For me, the best horror tales do not involve gratuitous amounts of blood, guts, and gore. Instead, I prefer horror stories that delve into the darkest crevices of the human psyche.

While ghosts, zombies, vampires, and other ghouls that go bump in the night can make for a creepy yarn, nothing compares to the terror inspired by the dark impulses of human beings.

A prime example of this more psychological brand of horror is the Swedish short The Best of Intentions.

This unsettling film is reminiscent of classic psycho-thrillers by the iconic "master of suspense," Alfred Hitchcock.

The short tells the story of  Kjell (starring famed Swedish actor Per Ragnar), a man who believes his disabled daughter is being sexually abused in her assisted care facility by her attendant Jocke (portrayed by Emil T. Jonsson, who also directed).

Furious, Kjell has a dire confrontation with Jocke about his daughter. 

From the first moment Ragnar appears onscreen as Kjell, you sense something is very amiss.  He radiates cold rage and menace that is boiling just beneath the surface of his dignified demeanor.

Jocke notices Kjell's hostility  towards him immediately, which causes the tension between the two men to gradually thicken until it engulfs them like a shroud.

Like a coiled cobra about to strike, you know something terrible and violent will happen.

To reveal more specifics would spoil the plot, but Jonsson manages to masterfully build nail-biting suspense by means of body language and dialogue alone.

When Kjell enacts a chilling plan of revenge, its tragic consequence will haunt him - and you the viewer.

Watch The Best Of Intentions in its entirety below ...

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