Director – Patrick McBrearty (Bounty Hunters)
Starring – Sam Kantor (Noah), Winny Clark (See No Evil), and Liv Collins (The Sublet)
Release Date – 2014
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “The job is very easy. It pays very well. All you have to do is put on the uniform, sit in the chair, and never let it open”
Some films try to over-complicate things with detailed stories that have more twist and turns than a mountain highway. Most want to confuse or disorient the viewer with brain-numbing twists and pointless story lines. I prefer my horror straight forward and simple and if a twist is necessary I prefer when they are obvious and hit the viewer straight in the face. Simple stories can pull off the twist if they make it subtle enough.
Recently, Black Fawn Distribution released the horror film The Door. The story seemed simple enough and the artwork looked awesome so I reached out to my friends over at BFD and they were kind enough to hook me with a review copy. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a young man who finds himself unemployed and broke. While heading home he comes across two goons mugging a rich Asian business man. He knows he will not to overpower the muggers so he uses his brains and starts recording them with his phone freaking them both out and forcing them to run. The business man offers him a job paying $500 a night to just sit and watch a door and to make sure nothing comes out of it.
His first night starts out well with nothing eventful going on but his girlfriend throws a wrench in the gears. While he is at work his girlfriend is out partying with some friends and decide to take the party to him. They show up at his work and he tries to make them leave but they hear someone say “help me” through the vents. The young man, his girlfriend, and their friends open the door and unless what is hiding behind it.**Spoiler Alert**
Simple stories need simplistic twists. If a film is a straight forward story then the viewer lets their guard down and may not focus on the film as intently as they usually would if they were watching a more detailed and complex film. The Door was a simple story that flowed very well but did throw an unexpected twist (in a sense) that could confuse the viewer if they look away for a few moments or if you are drinking (like I did the first time I was watching this one).
The acting in this one is great by the entire cast. They are all on the same level and show tremendous amounts of talent. They all feed off each other on screen and that results in some amazing performances.
The story for this one is simple enough. A young man watches a door for a presumed gangster and his curiosity gets the best of him and he opens it. The film does throw a few things at the viewer in rapid succession which could confuse the viewer slightly if they are not paying close attention. This happened to me. I was drinking a bit and a few things sneaked up on me.
Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills but they are nothing spectacular. We get a few stabs here and there and some dead bodies but not the carnage the blood and guts horror fans are looking for. Overall, The Door is a solid horror film that has an amazing cast and a fun story that deserves your full attention. Check it out but if you are looking for gore then remember you will not find it here.
