In the chilling horror short Chronic Wasting, director Luke Radzikinas crafts a taut and unnerving experience that blurs the line between environmental decay and psychological terror. The film follows a small group of individuals, including the troubled Grace Pebbles and the pragmatic Sean Krueger, who find themselves trapped in a remote, isolated location where the very landscape seems to be rotting from within. As a mysterious and contagious affliction—referred to only as the "wasting"—begins to warp both the physical world and the minds of those exposed, the survivors, including Kay Hein and Carson Yenter, must confront a creeping paranoia that turns friend against friend. With a runtime of just ten minutes, the film masterfully builds an atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia, leaning on visceral sound design and stark visuals. Casper Strunk delivers a haunting performance as a character whose descent into madness mirrors the decay around him. Chronic Wasting is a potent, minimalist horror that questions what happens when the earth itself becomes a predator.