Directed by: E.B. Hughes Written by: E.B. Hughes - Gregory Voigt Genre: Thriller |
Exit 0
A couple take a trip to a scenic small town for a weekend getaway. Upon discovering an old VHS video tape, with an apparent double homicide a-la the Sinister movies, Billy (Gabe Fazio) begins to feel like a target himself. When nobody else believes him, and the tape later appears blank, we're left to decide if the couple are in danger, or Billy is slipping out of reality.
With a focus on the slow burn over jump scares, Exit 0 manages to set itself up as a physiological thriller very early in the game. Even before the couple get to the Doctors Inn, strange things take place. An angry guy in a rest stop bathroom, that only Billy sees is the perfect way to launch this film. Setting the pace for what's to come. The bickering on the trip with Lisa (Augie Duke) lets us know things are not perfect within their relationship. This excursion is a way help the couple get closer. Their destination, The Doctors Inn is a place Billy frequented with his parents when he was younger. Things haven't changed much except maybe the unusual characters within it's walls. It's off season so there are not many, but the strangeness of who is there more than makes up for it. Strange things start happening. Drawers that operate themselves, lost time and Billy finding the old cassette tape of the murders. Then, after calling the police it's gone. When it turns up again, it's blank. Detective Mueller (Federico Castelluccio) doesn't quite know what to make of Billy. Is he a crazy person? Or is there something to all this. As this title rolls on, the viewer is meant to question if Billy is insane or not. Are these things really happening? Are the killers in the tape coming back to kill him and his girlfriend? With the creepy, supposedly haunted inn as the backdrop, Exit 0 fills us with dread as we slowly learn the truth. This is one of those films that starts off great. The sense of foreboding is thick enough to cut with a knife. The acting is quite good but not surprising. E.B. Hughes has cast Exit 0 with some recognizable faces that know their craft. It's the casting that really helps move the film forward, adding the zing needed for the script. But this film did fall apart a little during act 3 and the ending was a little anti climactic. Huge props for creating such a great atmosphere. The small inn, the small town and those strange characters really pushed the tension up a few notches. Even if, some of the characters seemed to offer little to the story. Serving only to enhance the atmosphere. That's hardly a problem though, and Fazio really knows how to keep us questioning what was real and what wasn't. Some of the scenes, such as the couple eating dinner had some great conversation dialog. Echoing what I'm sure many people feel sometimes, when in a relationship. Times like these kept things believable and real. I found Exit 0 to be a great way to kill some time. It's not overly long and if you're into those tense thrillers that favor atmosphere over blood and gore, you'll surely enjoy this film. Thank you for reading and enjoy the film. |
