Intruder (2008)

Director:

Gregory Caiafa

Writer:

Gregory Caiafa (screenwriter)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The things that frighten Lila Red, aren't only in her head.

Plot:

When Andrew and his disturbed girlfriend, Lila, travel to a secluded estate for a weekend getaway, they...

Plot Keywords:

Halloween | Serial Killer | Schizophrenia | Clown

Cast

Mariana Cardenas	...	Prologue Victim
Katy Cee	...	Flashback Victim
Christena Doggrell	...	Lila Red
Gary Ferrar	...	Benjamin
Anthony J. Gallo	...	Sheriff Matthew Cordell
Alexandra Grossi	...	Dr. Olga Carey
Brian Ish	...	Sid
Arda Itez	...	Dr. Helen Price
Anthony Marks	...	Deputy Fred Russell
Ryan Merrigan	...	The Intruder
Therese Plaehn	...	Ginger
Jack Reiling	...	Andrew Carpenter
Dru Robertson	...	Flashback Victim
Lauren Rosenberg	...	Susan's Daughter
Rob Ryan	...	Harry
Michelle Van Schyndel	...	Lila's Friend
Gillian Wiggin	...	Susan White
Danny Wildman	...	Prologue Victim

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Company:

Red Circle Movies

Quirky...

When I saw the preview on vod I expected a standard low-budget, high-cheese distraction. Like most people, I enjoy the occasional bad movie. Surprisingly, what I got was possibly the oddest slasher film I've ever seen.

The film begins with a mentally ill young woman (a smoldering performance by newcomer Christena Doggrell) and her boyfriend (Jack Reiling) going to a secluded estate for a little r & r. There is an inciting incident that is the quirkiest gear shifter you'll see in a horror film all year (not to mention possibly the most brutal "cat scare" in horror movie history).

We then have some nicely acted and tense scenes, lush exterior photography that beautifully captures the autumn vistas, and a trip to the cemetery that yields a fairly severe sex/ murder scene in the form of a flashback. There's also a bit of self- destructive behavior by the troubled protagonist that had the girl I was watching it with squirming on her lazy-boy.

The second and third acts are remarkably low-key and tense. The movie often veers off into territory you wouldn't expect from a flick about a killer in a clown mask and trench coat.

On the downside, the film isn't nearly graphic enough for the modern slasher fan, and the otherwise solid photography suffers from excess grain that makes the image a tad soft (I'm pretty sure this was shot on 16mm, an anomaly in the digital age). The low-budget often reveals itself, particularly in the effects, which are presented mostly in flash cuts, indicating that not a lot of money went to the make-up department.

Still, Intruder stands out as a cut above the direct to cable/DVD stuff you typically come across. It has a powerful undercurrent and a sure - handedness about itself that impressed me. And the shock ending is the kind that doesn't hit you until after the credits start to roll.