Voldemort: Origins of the Heir (2018)

A fan made prequel to the Harry Potter series based on Tom Riddle and his progression to becoming The Dark Lord.

This fanfilm really shows how much dedicated fans can accomplish with a 15,000 euro budget and a runtime of less than an hour - with no motivation other than their love for the series.

The result is a minimalistic, dialogue-heavy film full of references to characters and events from the official Harry Potter movies/books. The inconsistencies are either too small or too few to matter, though hardcore fans might notice. It is essentially a small backstory made into a film. As such, it will probably appeal to longtime fans, but at the same time leave them wanting more, due to the film's short length.

The production values are surprisingly good for being a fan film. The special effects are nice and full of eye candy, certain sequences are really well edited, and the portrayal of Tom Riddle stands out.

It is a polished film with some memorable lines here and there. They really could have messed up on this one - and they didn't. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter series, go give it a watch. It's free (due to the non-commercial nature of the film), it doesn't stray too much from the canon, and, after all, it only lasts an hour.

Director: Gianmaria Pezzato
Writers: Gianmaria Pezzato, J.K. Rowling (novels)
Stars: Stefano Rossi Giordani, Rorie Stockton, Aurora Moroni