Penny Dreadful (2006)

Young Penny goes on a retreat with her psychologist; the intention is to help her overcome her phobia, an intense fear of cars. Unexpected events find her in a nightmarish situation where her worst fears come true.

Director:

Richard Brandes

Writers:

Diane Doniol-Valcroze (story), Arthur K. Flam (story) (as Arthur Flam)

Stars:

Rachel Miner, Mimi Rogers, Chad Todhunter

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Rachel Miner	...	Penny Deerborn
Mimi Rogers	...	Orianna Volkes
Chad Todhunter	...	Alvin
Mickey Jones	...	Eddie
Liz Davies	...	The Hitchhiker
Michael Berryman	...	Gas Station Attendant
Lucy Rogers-Ciaffa	...	Young Penny
Elyse Mirto	...	Penny's Mother (as Elyse Marie Mirto)
Tammy Filor	...	Mary Saunders
Casey Sander	...	Truck Driver

Storyline

Young Penny goes on a retreat with her psychologist; the intention is to help her overcome her phobia, an intense fear of cars. Unexpected events find her in a nightmarish situation where her worst fears come true.

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Plot Keywords:

fear | fear of cars | psychologist | phobia | car | 

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Taglines:

Don't forget to breathe...

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/terror, some sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book the therapist Orianna Volks wrote is titled "Full Circle: Conquering Our Fears".

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Goofs

There are three different license numbers on the BMW that the girl is trapped in.

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Quotes

The Hitchhiker: [whispering in the dark] Penny...

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Crazy Credits

The credits appear on the misty windows of abandoned cars in a dark junkyard.

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Connections

References Cujo (1983)

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Soundtracks

Too Long
Written by Michael Anderson

User Reviews

Kebab, anyone?

Quite a large number of people recommended "Penny Dreadful" to me recently, and even though it's definitely not a terrible little film, I sure wished the descriptions of the story would have been a bit more accurate and the film itself would have been a tiny bit better. It's really not a horrific thriller in the tradition of "The Hitcher" simply because it features a maniacal hitch-hiker and it's definitely not reminiscent of "Wrong Turn" because it is set in the woods. "Penny Dreadful" is not much more than a simplistic backwoods slasher with a couple of ambitious themes (like the childhood traumas & phobias) and a couple clever and effective low-budget cinema tricks, like a minimum of filming locations. Adorable young Penny witnessed her parents dying in a car crash at young age. Ever since that day she's petrified of cars and that phobia prevents her from building up a normal life, for example dating the hunk in her apartment block. When the movie starts, she and her psychiatrist (Mimi Rogers) are driving towards the place where the accident happened, to get therapeutic closure once and for all. But Penny's fear for cars will get a lot worse before it gets better, because the two women pick up a sinister and uncanny hitch-hiker. The individual behaves odd but harmless at first, even offering the ladies a tasty-looking kebab, but pretty soon Penny is locked inside the car and trapped between two trees, and with her phobia of cars that is really not a nice place to hang out. "Penny Dreadful" benefices from an overall unsettling atmosphere and a couple of nail-biting suspense sequences, but the film is too long and it's impossible for director Richard Brandes to hold the viewer's attention throughout the entire playtime. Perhaps the film, and particularly the scares, would have worked better in a short format, like an episode of "Masters of Horror" or something. Now several scenes feel dragged and tedious. The denouement is rather stupid and only confirms that "Penny Dreadful" is just an average by-the-numbers slasher, because all the mystery surrounding the murderous hitcher has suddenly vanished. It's not a very gory movie, but the few make-up effects are competently achieved and quite freaky. The cinematography is probably the best aspect of the entire movie, as Joplin Wu's camera makes the ominous woods at night look even more menacing and inescapable than they already are.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Penny Dreadful

Filming Locations:

Big Bear City, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,482,000, 19 November 2006

Gross USA:

$321,875

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$394,447

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brandes Films International, Hart Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1