NOV 20-21, 2026
Aroma-Vision’ Review: When the Promise of a Better Life Starts Smelling Wrong
Shun Powell's Milwaukee-made science-fiction horror short turns a strange television invention into a stylish, funny and increasingly sinister warning about technology, temptation and dissatisfaction.
Aroma-Vision opens with a glitch.
It is a small detail, but it immediately tells us that something in this world is not functioning quite as it should. From there, director Shun Powell wastes no time establishing the level of filmmaking on display. The production value is visible from the first moments, beginning inside Fred's apartment, a beautifully chosen location that already feels carefully designed rather than simply borrowed for the shoot.
The camera follows Fred with a smooth opening movement, introducing both the character and his environment without rushing. John Carlo Rosillo's cinematography is superb throughout the film. There is confidence in the dolly work, the framing and, especially, the close-ups. Some of those images cannot be discussed in detail without giving too much away, but they are precise, unsettling and often very funny.
Max Williamson gives a strong performance as Fred, an ordinary man caught in the repetition of everyday life. He is immediately likeable, with an understated comic quality that never becomes exaggerated. That natural humour is important because it allows the stranger parts of the film to emerge without the story losing its human centre.
Fred is looking for something that might improve his life, and that possibility arrives through Culinary Masters, an interactive cooking programme connected to the mysterious Aroma-Vision technology. The concept is absurd in the best possible way: amusing enough to invite curiosity, but uncomfortable enough to make the audience suspicious from the beginning.
Powell and writer Adam Smith understand how easily new technology can be presented as a solution to unhappiness. Fred does not simply want to learn how to cook. He wants escape, fulfilment and a different version of himself. Rather than confronting the deeper reasons for his dissatisfaction, he places his hopes in a product that promises immediate transformation.
That idea gives the film its satirical edge. Aroma-Vision is about the constant pressure to consume something new, whether it comes through social media, entertainment, work or products designed to capture attention. The film asks what happens when people allow technology to replace personal responsibility, emotional reflection and genuine change.
The answer, naturally, is not pleasant.
One of the film’s most memorable sequences takes place around Leo’s Diner. Fred’s walk from the diner toward his car is photographed beneath glowing neon lights, creating one of the most beautiful images in the short. The location appears to have been studied carefully, with every light source contributing to the mood. It feels cinematic, atmospheric and slightly unreal.
The title reveal that follows is equally effective. It arrives with personality, reinforcing the film’s connection to classic speculative television while still giving Aroma-Vision its own modern identity.
Inside Fred’s home, the visual atmosphere becomes even more expressive. Haze and fog drift through the apartment, turning an everyday space into something strange and dreamlike. The production design works closely with the cinematography, gradually transforming the location as Fred becomes more involved with the programme.
The sound design is just as important. The television presentation, electronic interruptions, music and environmental sounds make the technology feel present even when it is not fully visible. Nothing feels added as decoration. Every technical element contributes to the growing sensation that Fred has invited something dangerous into his life.
Powell directs the tonal changes with great control. The film can be funny in one moment and disturbing in the next, but those shifts never feel accidental. The humour makes Fred’s situation entertaining, while the horror slowly reveals the consequences beneath the novelty.
There is also a clear affection for classic science fiction. The influence of The Twilight Zone is easy to recognise in the ordinary protagonist, the mysterious invention and the moral consequences waiting beneath an apparently simple premise. Its concerns about invasive and seductive technology also place it comfortably beside more contemporary speculative stories.
However, Aroma-Vision does not survive on references alone. It has its own identity, built through its Milwaukee locations, local cast and crew, distinctive production design and strong visual execution.
The film accomplishes an impressive amount in just over eleven minutes. It establishes Fred's life, introduces the technology, develops its central theme and pushes the situation into increasingly bizarre territory without feeling overcrowded.
This is the kind of short that reminds audiences how much can be achieved when direction, cinematography, performance, sound and production design are working toward the same purpose. The filmmakers have not simply created a clever premise; they have created a complete and convincing cinematic experience.
Selected for the Los Angeles Fantasy Fest 2026, Aroma-Vision is funny, moody and technically accomplished science-fiction horror. It begins with the promise of something new and exciting, then gradually reveals the terrible price of believing that technology can solve every emptiness in our lives.
Production Details
Director: Shun Powell
Writer: Adam Smith
Producers: Max Hauser, Adam Smith, Jeff Jelenchick and Shun Powell
Director of photography: John Carlo Rosillo
Composer: Sean Egan
Cast: Max Williamson, Anna Castelaz, Anthony McKenzie, Frankie Breit, James Perry and Kurt Krauss
Country: United States
Language: English
Year: 2026
Runtime: 11 minutes 18 seconds
Genres: Science fiction, horror, satire and mystery
Format: Digital, ARRI, colour, 2:1
By Darwin Reina 24 July 2026
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