MP
Marco Pitzalis
•Ellen is traveling at night, lost in her thoughts, when she crashes into a car. But the troubles are just beginning: a monstrous brute emerges from the woods and turns out to be an abominable serial killer. Ellen will have to fight for her survival. Car journey. Endless roads, dozens and dozens of kilometers in the middle of nowhere. Classic accident. The monster arrives. Our protagonist flees into the woods and proves to be light-years ahead of the dozens, hundreds, and thousands of women victimized by maniacs seen in horror films. With what little she has at her disposal, she manages to injure the monster several times. This is what can be called a fight for survival... the techniques taught by her husband bear fruit. Our Ellen is married, and during the journey (and throughout the episode), we witness flashbacks of her romantic life. The husband is a brute, in appearance a normal man, perhaps a bit too stressed by the frenzy of modern life and a bit too concerned about the negative sides of society, manias that will grow over the years, seriously undermining their marriage. He, a good soldier, teaches her survival techniques, but he exaggerates and loses more and more contact with reality... After the first part, not very original and not entirely credible, the episode takes off. Our protagonist faints and finds herself imprisoned in the monster's house. Our deformed friend has the charming habit of gouging out the eyes of his victims (nice splatter moment) because the eyes, as says an old man also imprisoned in the cabin, "see all the sins". Then he crucifies the corpses and hangs them around the house. Our protagonist will manage to free herself, confront the monster and... The ending, probably the strongest part of the episode, covers and washes away the little sins of the first twenty minutes. The flashbacks with the husband, seemingly a bit senseless and useless, will thus find their explanation. What this film teaches us is that people can be very different from how they appear, that in life you never stop learning, and that a sudden and shocking event can change a person's existence and personality forever. If a comparison were to be made, one could say that Ellen's "metamorphosis" somewhat resembles that of the protagonist of "The Descent". A few words about the actors. The monster, played by John DeSantis, is quite unsettling, an imposing figure. Also good is the husband (Ethan Embry), in the role of the possessed brute. But the scene is dominated by the splendid protagonist, a beautiful and talented Bree Turner (what more could you ask for?). A remarkable performance. And let me pay the due tributes to the great old Angus Scrimm, in the role of the crazy old man that Ellen meets in the cabin. In conclusion, I would define it as an excellent short film: if the first minutes do not convince you, close one eye and give it a chance anyway... The idea behind the film is the result of the work of the famous writer Joe Lansdale, much revered by fans of "paper" horror.