Starry Eyes (2014)

A hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune.

Directors:

Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer

Writers:

Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer

Stars:

Alex Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Noah Segan

7 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alex Essoe	...	Sarah (as Alexandra Essoe)
Amanda Fuller	...	Tracy
Noah Segan	...	Danny
Fabianne Therese	...	Erin
Shane Coffey	...	Poe
Natalie Castillo	...	Ashley
Pat Healy	...	Carl
Nick Simmons	...	Ginko
Maria Olsen	...	The Casting Director
Marc Senter	...	The Assistant
Louis Dezseran	...	The Producer
Danny Minnick	...	Reggie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Alvarado	...	Hipster
Spencer Baik	...	Hipster
Denis Bolotski	...	Heinrich

Storyline

In Hollywood, the Big Taters'waitress Sarah Walker is an ambitious aspiring actress that suffers from hair pulling disorder. Sarah does not respect her boss Carl or her job since she believes she will be a great actress and this job is temporary only to pay her bills. She shares an apartment with her roommate Tracy that frequently discloses her secrets to their selfish friends Erin that likes to humiliate Sarah and steal her roles; Danny, who is an aspiring director that likes Sarah; Poe and Ashley that are indifferent to her. When Sarah is invited to an audition of the film The Silver Screen from the company Astraeus Pictures, their auditioners do not show any reaction to her performance. When Sarah leaves the audition, she goes to the toilet room and has an attack, pulling her hair and crying. Immediately after, the casting director invites her to return to the room and repeat what she did in the bathroom for her assistant and she. Sarah is invited again to an audition with the ...

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Plot Keywords:

casting couch | ambition | aspiring actress | female nudity | fellatio | 

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Taglines:

All dreams require sacrifice.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Belgium

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Starry Eyes

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,220

Company Credits

Production Co:

Snowfort Pictures, Parallactic Pictures, Dark Sky Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Sarah doesn't get forced into anything in this film," says Widmyer, and that's key to the theme here about how far a person will go achieve their greatest desire. Viewers are meant to see Sarah as a victim at first -- in a traditional horror film she most certainly would be -- but it's only as the film progresses that it becomes clear how much she's fully on-board for the madness provided it leads to success.

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Goofs

When Sarah was in the office of Tater Tots discussing her future as a waitress with the manager, a schedule of names with their hours are a board in the background behind the manager. Later on, when she's back in the same office again, asking the manager for her job back after she quit, Sarah's name along with the number of hours are still on that board.

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Quotes

The Producer: Your face would be on the poster, the poster on a wall, a wall in a lobby, a lobby of a movie theater, a theater with a marquee: The Silver Scream.

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Connections

Referenced in The Neon Demon (2016)

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Soundtracks

Zebra Kids
Written by Ranya Dube
Performed by La Garconne

User Reviews

Deep, Dark, Gory, and Insightful, Albeit a Tad Wayward

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.1/5 stars

Though It's a tad over-cranked in the final furlong, the sheer energy on display and a devilishly compelling plot ultimately win the day. Not a slow-burner so much as a strong build up, once "Starry Eyes" gets where it's going, the film becomes explosively violent and shocking.

The story is not uncommon, but its execution is grand. The movie is harrowing and insightful, unafraid to go to places both dark and deep. It has often been said that Hollywood changes people. "Starry Eyes" disturbingly, unforgettably takes this adage to the literal brink, then pushes far beyond it for chillingly good measure. The film balances Hollywood satire and splattery gore in a way that's both fresh and inviting, taking a typical struggling actress and exploiting her story with everything the horror genre has to offer. Horror fans should also watch out for the Directors, Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, and especially for newbie, Alex Essoe, who delivers a truly star-making performance (pity it was in an indie that might not bring her just recognition).

"Starry Eyes" may take a little while to get there, but once it does you'll realize that this diabolically offbeat journey of debauchery, ambition, and masochism was worth the payoff.