Cowgirl | Naqmeh Hashemi

Horror Short Film | 2 Minutes | 2022
Written, Directed & Produced by Naqmeh Hashemi

Year

2019

Company

Risus

Role

Senior Designer

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Midnight is a two-minute horror short film created as part of a Short Film & Documentary Production course taught by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Kart. The challenge was to create a horror film within a strict two-minute runtime, pushing the limits of visual storytelling and atmospheric tension.
Written and directed by me, the film follows a young woman who unknowingly enters the wrong car late at night. What begins as an ordinary journey gradually turns into a disturbing encounter, as subtle details reveal that something is terribly wrong.
Rather than relying on explicit violence or exaggerated scares, Midnight builds suspense through controlled lighting, restrained performances, sound, and carefully timed visual reveals. The film explores how an ordinary situation can become deeply unsettling when familiarity gives way to uncertainty.
The film was selected as the best in its class.

CREATIVE APPROACH

The film builds horror through anticipation rather than spectacle. The confined car interior, the driver’s silence, and the gradual revelation of danger allow tension to emerge from small details.
Lighting and composition help conceal information and control what the audience can see. Sound and editing reinforce the shift from an ordinary nighttime journey to a threatening situation, while the final images leave the danger unresolved.
The short runtime demanded precision: every shot had to advance the story, deepen the atmosphere, or prepare the final reveal.