Horror/Thriller, 89 Minutes, 2011
Low-budget horror is a mostly-miss affair. Characters as thin as the fake blood they’re splashed in and plots as trite as a “Love is…” poster. The train-wrecks are fun in their own way, but the real joy is in finding the (very) few that hit their mark. This is one of those.
Orlando Jones [IMDB] plays a detective, tortured by the lose of his wife, looking into the bizarre suicides that seem to surround a disturbing pair of emotionless twins, Jonah and Seth (Gary [IMDB] and Edmund [IMDB] Entin). The twins harbor a horrifying secret, but are unassailable in their unity. Enter Eve, played by Samantha Droke [IMDB]. When Jonah starts a relationship with her Seth’s jealousy begins a horrifying downward spiral.
The script is, in case you didn’t notice from the names, a little heavy on the symbolism, biblical and otherwise, but it’s also tight and internally consistent. Some of the plot threads are pulled from other creepy-twin stories, especially “Dead Ringers” [IMDB], there’s more than enough interesting original material to compensate. Fans of that classic should find a lot to like here as well.
Despite the budget, it’s clear that the participants made significant efforts here. Jones’, in particular, gives a surprisingly deft, wholly dramatic performance that may surprise those that only know him from his comedic work. The twins are also effective, if a little unseasoned. The editing is sometimes heavy-handed, lacking subtlety, but that, also, seems more a lack of experience than passion.
The budget definitely sets a ceiling for the movie, but it does its best to bump it. Good psychological horror is rare and I’m not going to spend to long looking in the mouths of gift horses. This is a solid, interesting, well-done piece of work. Recommended.
