Out of Town (1989) User Reviews

Bizarre short film that remained in my memory for many years

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 29 March 2015]

This short film has stayed in my memory for over twenty-five years and only now, due to the wonders of Googling and YouTube, I have rediscovered it. I originally saw it by chance at a friend's house one evening and we were both somewhat taken aback and impressed. The next day at work one of my colleagues asked if anyone else had seen a weird short film the night before. Anyway, after this I never seen or heard of it again but it remained in my mind nevertheless.

It's about a man who is out for a walk in the middle of the countryside who gets his foot stuck in a small hole by the side of a road. He remains trapped there in the open for some time, while passers-by continually ignore him. One even returns in the dead of night to rob him, while another mysterious helpful stranger is run over in the process of trying to get help. Eventually it becomes apparent that there is something under the ground biting the man and he is subsequently pulled beneath the earth.

This is a truly memorable short horror tale. The combination of the absurdity of the man's predicament, the frightening indifference of the passing public and the odd isolated setting make for a very strange and surreal nightmare. It's quite difficult making an impression in such a short running time but Out of Town certainly does by making such a distinctive film that taps into some fears most of us have; of being trapped, in broad daylight and no one will help you.

The most macabre short film I've ever seen

[Onetrickpony-1 · 9/10 · 9 December 2005]

that is, if this is the film I think it is..

About 10 or 12 years ago, I happened to be flipping channels, & came across this short as a cable "filler" that appeared (I think) on Encore.

Synopsis: It seemed to be set in the English countryside. A man is hiking along the side of a dirt road, and inadvertently steps in a hole. His foot gets stuck, and try as he might, he can't get it loose. He ends up stuck there for what seems days, and as people drive by, he pleads for help but at first no one stops.

The longer he's stuck, the farther his foot and leg are drawn into the hole, almost as if something is drawing him in, eventually his whole leg disappears...

At one point, during a rainstorm, a car stops. The man is relieved and babbling, thinking he's about to be rescued, but instead the driver knocks him unconscious, and steals his coat.

Then another hiker, a black man if I recall, comes along and tries to give aid, but can't dislodge the first man. Hearing a car approach, the black man runs out into the middle of the road to flag it down, but the car doesn't even stop, runs him down and kills him.

The end of the short shows the hiker, weak and shivering. Whatever the thing is underground that grabbed him, starts pulling the rest of him into the rain-softened muddy hole. Finally, the only thing left is the foot from the leg that hadn't been trapped, sticking straight up out of the ground.

The final scene shows what seems to be a homeless person walk up, look at the foot, steal the shoe off it, and walk off...

This bizarre little film has stuck in my mind over a decade's time. I wish I could find it for purchase somewhere.

Memorable Horror Short

[Theo Robertson · 8/10 · 21 November 2014]

A hiker walking along a remote country road gets his foot trapped in a soft verge . Becoming more frustrated at passer-bys reluctance to help him he realises there might be something under the surface of the verge

Like my fellow commentators I saw this short film many , many years ago , forgot many of the details including the title but recall how everything pans out story wise . It's one of these disconcerting horror shorts that creeps under your skin mixing the macabre and the mundane and doesn't disappoint when you see it half a life time later . One plus point it has years later is that the unknown actor playing the hapless protagonist did became a relatively well known name both sides of the Atlantic - David Morrissey

What sticks out about this short isn't so much the mounting horror the hiker experiences but the complete indifference and callous attitude from sundry passer-bys as to his ordeal . It's not what might be lurking underneath the surface but what lies in the selfish condition of human beings that shock and horrify the audience

One aspect that does seem strange is the British setting . I say strange because despite it being set in the British countryside with British characters all speaking with entirely British accents I never got the sense any of this was taking place in Britain . Instead I was constantly reminded of somewhere in America . I guess I've been watching too many American films in that case ?

Unbelievably "sticky"

[skde · 10/10 · 31 August 2006]

I've watched this once on MTV in the early 90s. I still have vivid clips in my head. Didn't remember the name (it has been more than a decade). I've tried looking for it like mad since then, so if anyone knows where I can buy a copy it'd be worth more than a couple of drinks if you're in town. The story's in the earlier comment (along with lots of the same memories of the clip I'm sure) with the exception of a filler (a 15 minute flick having a filler is quite a big deal) of a dream while he's knocked out. He sees the light (in black and white) - the one deviation from the movie.

Brillian movie. Think it probably should have got an Oscar.

stuck

[Kirpianuscus · 31 December 2023]

A nightmare becoming true. Or, in some measure, more than true.

A young traveller, walking on field, gets his foot stuck in a hole. The reaction of people ( cold realistic , precise defined ) and the end so often present in the most terrible nightmares , symbolic for the other foot in air and the pragmaticism of homeless.

In short, a real gem, as a verdict about humanity , selfishness and the perspective about the other as simple object.

Maybe, an useful example of honesty , demonstrating nothing- only reminding -, offering to young David morrisey the privilege of great acting .

A very short, so powerful film . Or maybe, a warning.