Tonight I was lucky enough to view the short film Lewis. Lewis is a part of the Psycho Street anthology, which has been steadily gaining some momentum and popularity among horror fans for a little while now. So, this was a special treat. Lewis stars Deneen Melody, one of horror’s most sought after talents. Other noteworthy cast members include Jerry Murdock (Vindication), Susan Adriensen (Sculpture), Michael Partipilo, Marv Blauvelt (Slices of Life), and a cameo by Kelsey Zukowski (Mother’s Blood).
In Lewis, Amanda (Melody) takes her daughter to a cottage in a small town for her 8th birthday. Plagued by visions of her parents’ grisly murders, Amanda is soon unnerved by the idea of her daughter’s imaginary friend as well as the curious actions of the clergy and other town inhabitants. What seems to be an ordinary town, with its own urban legend of a beast, has something much more sinister waiting in the darkness. It’s breeding time, and you’ve been chosen!
I took a bunch of notes while watching this short film, so let me just start at the top. The movies has a very 1980s feel to it a la The House of The Devil. Lewis is one of the top films I’d recommend to fans who want a throw back to the golden days of suspense and horror. Lewis really pulled out all the stops to create the feel of the golden era of horror. Even little things like filling a whole tank of gas with only $5 is appreciated by someone who recognizes film continuity. The only thing I can harp on is at the beginning there are a lot of glares from the sun. Watch out for those things in the future, but as far as overall quality of production is concerned – Lewis did a great job.
The characters were interesting. Everyone looked familiar, but it turns out that I was thinking of other actors – especially with the pastor. The small town is chock full of colorful characters such as the senior citizen and her creepy eye patch, and the two hippies. As I mentioned before, Kelsey Zukowski makes a small cameo in Lewis, in a blink and you’ll miss her moment towards the beginning of the film. But, the stand out of the film is by far Deneen Melody. Also towards the beginning of the film, Deneen goes off to investigate a strange noise…armed with an umbrella. The expression on her face was not easy to distinguish. This is a great acting ability on her part. It’s easy to show that you’re scared; it’s easy to show you’re confused; it’s easy to show you’re strong willed; but it’s hard to show a mix of everything, a genuine gut reaction to something scary…and Deneen did this perfectly.
There’s a lot of sex in this movie. The sex is never fully explained, as well as the motivation behind it. Besides gratification, obviously, you’ll have to watch the film yourself when it is widely released to know what I’m talking about. The whole angle of the antagonists isn’t very clear and I would like to know more. Yes, I know they’re bad and, for the most part, not human…but I would like to have seen their plot be explored further. Sadly, it is a short film, but luckily, it ended with “The End?” leaving me hopeful for a Lewis II.
Andrew G Summer, Marv Blauvelt, and Trevor Wright all came up with the concept and script for Lewis. Mr. Summer also serves as the director. Lewis was produced by Tinycore Pictures. Great work, everyone. Awesome horror flick!
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