The key turns in the lock, the door swings open. In the darkness, the faint outlines of familiar rooms begin to take shape. Instinctively, a hand reaches for the light switch. Home at last. One’s own home should be a sanctuary – a place where the outside world and the gray monotony of everyday life are left at the threshold. But what happens when the refuge itself becomes a nightmare?

The 59 international short films in this year’s Shock Blocks find horror in the mundane: home renovations mutate into life-threatening tests of courage, overbearing neighbors shred one’s nerves, and, as the saying goes, the worst accidents still happen in the household.

Often, all it takes is an Allen key. That small, supposedly practical tool that drives even experienced DIYers to the brink of rage. But is it truly the tool – or perhaps a lack of talent – that causes the new piece of furniture, CHÄIR, to resist its assembly so vehemently? Do terrible depths hide within the crevices of the upholstery, dragging you closer to the abyss of madness with every turn of a screw? Can video tutorials and customer reviews really help when the assembly instructions, despite their cheerful pictograms, read like a cursed manuscript in a forgotten language?

Blank white walls: their psychological effect alone is about as cozy as the deathly pale scratching of fingernails on a chalkboard. A bold choice of color, on the other hand, is usually rewarded. An appetizing yellow for the kitchen, a calming midnight blue for the bedroom. And how about a rich, warm DEATH RED for the living room? That is how walls truly gain character. You can practically feel the designer’s brushstroke and the vital origin of this glossy, blood-red finish.

Finally, we must address a topic often discussed only in hushed tones: the “lovely” neighbors. How are the schools in the neighborhood? Is there conflict at the homeowners’ association meeting? And just how civilized is the local coven (WHITCH), anyway?