Portrait of God | a lesson in horror

When I first saw the short horror film Portrait of God on YouTube some time ago, it left an impression on me that a lot of current horror doesn't. I actually stopped watching most modern major horror titles because they just aren't scary or anything new (American Horror Story is an exception, but that's a much larger essay on its own). Either the director goes too hard on the atmosphere and not much else, or the monster is in plain sight and it feels lacking. Sometimes, a film builds and does great, but at the end it ruins everything by throwing in some random scare for the sake of horror, whether that be a jump scare or an over-the-top monster reveal that's nothing to write home about.

Few films strike a perfect balance, Skinamarink being one of those films that does. Another is Portrait of God, which is an independent short film running just over seven minutes in length. I stumbled across it again tonight and watched it once more, and it filled me with the same amount of dread as the first time. I felt that rare spark that sings within me when I finally find good horror; that horror addict in me that craves new and experimental ideas has finally scratched the itch that's been bugging me for too long.

Portrait of God is a story about the unknown, the forbidden. Things we aren't supposed to see. And the film balances it well by delivering a quiet atmosphere that's dark and somber. Of course, the beginning quote does a lot for the film by itself:

"No man shall see Me and live."

-Exodus 33:20

Already, we have an idea of what the film is about, but it doesn't give away anything, either. It proceeds to show a young woman wearing a cross necklace, and she's preparing a presentation about a painting. The painting, as shown at first, is blank. Many people see nothing. However, several have seen something, and all are filled with both horror and awe. One says almost breathlessly that it's "...beautiful."

If you're paying attention, you might start to see something form behind the woman to the left of the screen in the distant shadows. It's not entirely clear, but what is the most prominent are two white tiny lights. Eyes. The figure appears to be staring wide-eyed, but we still can't make out exactly what in the fuck is lurking back there.

The young woman looks away from the projector screen, and we just barely see it there where the blank painting is. When she looks back, it's gone again.

Is it God that eventually reveals himself? Or is it something else? Or, maybe, just like the Eldritch Biblical angels you may have seen artwork of — the angels with a multitude of eyes, sometimes not even humanoid at all — God is also fearsome and not the kind-looking old man with a long white beard. After all, if he did say "No man shall see Me and live," then God could look like anything, even something horrific.

I won't spoil the rest of the film, you'll have to watch it for yourself. It's well worth it, and since it's free and quite short, there's really no excuse not to. Its strength is in its brevity, and if it were much longer the magic of it would be lost.

If you like horror that makes you glance over your shoulder in the middle of the night, leaves you with unsettling revelations about things that were supposed to be comforting, and that doesn't employ cheap scare tactics like jump scares or in-your-face monsters, Portrait of God might be what you need.

It has a thing or two to teach about what makes a horror film genuinely scary.

©2025 Shane Blackheart