Touch (2022 film)

Touch is a 2022 crime horror short film written and directed by Justin Burquist. The film stars Eva Ceja, Randy Davison, Steve Froehlich and Nick Young. It won Best Horror Short Film at Berlin Short Film Festival, was nominated for Best Art Direction at Oceanside International Film Festival and screened at Monster Fest and Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival.

Plot
Homicide police bring in a mysterious woman with a supernatural ability to help them solve a gruesome murder.

Cast

 * Eva Ceja as Carmen
 * Randy Davison as Victim
 * Steve Froehlich as Killer
 * Nick Young as Detective Hooper
 * Jayce Venditti as Deputy Smith
 * Ron Christopher Jones as Deputy O'Neal

Production
Justin Burquist used the film's technique on a previous music video and said the film is influenced by Se7en and Brian De Palma. Principal photography took place in Downtown San Diego in 2021. John Menvielle helped with sound recording, visual effects and editing. Jayce Venditti and Ron Christopher Jones were also cast in the film. It was made for a $10,000 budget.

Release
The film premiered at Los Angeles Crime & Horror Film Festival on November 20, 2022. It screened at Monster Fest with Matthew Holmes' The Cost, Berlin Short Film Festival, Oceanside International Film Festival and Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival.

It was distributed by Klipist on May 22, 2024.

Critical response
Rebecca Cherry at Film Carnage praised Ceja's performance and said the film was "a captivating, mysterious blend of crime thriller and horror," scoring it 8 out of 10. Mac Brewer at Horror Society scored it 4 out of 5 noting they "would love to see this further explored or redone into a feature film" because it is "a unique crime thriller/horror tale that has so much more potential." Simon Thompson at Bloody Flicks praised the film, saying it was "visually captivating, and striking in its originality." Adam La Rosa at Monster Fest said the film was "interesting and mind-bending."