It’s strange to watch a film so entwined within itself that anything more than a random plot synopsis will give away many of its unforeseeable twists and turns. Up and coming cinematic everyman Steve Hudgins has followed up his enjoyable but arbitrary first film “Third Floor” with one that promises figurative whiplash upon its initial viewing. A second viewing is suggested if only to help work out the kinks. There’s something to be said for story structure that razor sharp, especially when you can’t actually talk about the film itself without jettisoning any or all aspects of surprise. All the praise being heaped upon this film by my peers in the reviewing community is definitely warranted, I assure you.

In the opening minutes, an escape plays out; a POV shot navigates the audience from the bowels of an anti-septic looking mental institution, out onto a sunny midday street and then onto the porch of an indiscriminate suburban residence. This was the escapee’s home as a boy, it turns out. The bubbly homeowner, an older, overweight, white-haired gentleman, invites the man inside where the two get into a heated debate about family and bloodlines – culminating in a vicious assault. At the same time, a young woman, Melissa (Jessica Cook), is prepping herself for a coffee shop blind date. She met him through an online dating service and has no idea what he looks like, but she’s game for the experience. On route, she encounters a dishevelled man situated in the middle of the road. Having just heard a radio report about an escaped and dangerous mental patient, her guard is up and she’s quick on the gas at the sight of this creepy bloke. Unexpected problems greet Melissa at the door of the home of her supposed date, beginning when he doesn’t run outside at the beckon of her honking horn. A rather unassuming man answers the door and invites her inside to wait. Apparently her date is running late -- a mad dash to the nearest grocery store for deodorant being the chief excuse. “He should only be a few more minutes,” he assures her. Back at the asylum (or, rather, home for the mentally disturbed) Dr. Franklin Grimm (Nick Faust), is in a desperate bid to get away on vacation before news leaks out of the escaped mental patient/serial killer John Bromely. As he’ll quickly discover somebody has already leaked the information to the media that morning. There’s more than the usual share of obstacles in his way including never-ending phone calls, a few nosey peers, a secretary well on her way to getting a midday buzz on, and his own forgetfulness (he overlooks pocketing his keys on the way to the parking lot) but the biggest impediment is getting to the bottom of who leaked the news of the escape.

Each of these pieces of a plot (and more to come later) work as a foundation for something that, in different hands, could have been totally incomprehensible drivel, here instead, they are the foundation for some genuine thrills – thrills that never stop coming, even in the final frame. This is not an easy film to review and that’s a huge compliment. Christ, I can’t even get into who played what character without giving away fundamental clues to the story. Ug!!! There’s a point after which the central elements have played out, that the film begins to play catch up - then keep up - with itself, as new factors weigh into the main and constantly developing plot. With each new revelation, the story must back up onto itself in order to show how it arrived there. I personally found myself completely blindsided by one revelation near film’s end – and, what can I say, I loved it.

Granted, logic is suspended on at least two occasions, namely the notion of someone working within the medical community wearing a ski mask (and not be institutionalized himself based on his own psychological issues) is far fetched, and the haphazard way one character acts, which, given any form of minor thought, and a check of a certain I.P. address, would have lead police directly back to their doorstep. That aside, everything else here seems like a tapestry nearly without blemish. Yes, there’s the occasional flawed technical moment, some of the dialogue doesn’t flow properly and first time actor Nick Faust tends to take overacting to new heights in a few of his scenes, but none of that can even begin to diminish the exciting cinematic ride this is. This is easily one of the best indie movies I’ve watched this year.

Old school Italian Giallo fans will also delight in the numerous nods to the celebrated genre of the past, especially in a slew of scenes that push the misogynistic envelope. The gore effects are competently handled however they are kept to a minimum, as this is more of a mystery than pure gore feature; watch for a pair of pliers as they factor their way into a scene where a thumb is twisted in ways that thumbs aren’t generally supposed to twist. Ouch! To buy this film, head on over to Steve Hudgin's kick ass website bigbitingpigproductions.com and pick this thing up. While you’re at it, grab their other feature “Third Floor”. I predict that this is a director you’ll be hearing about in the coming future.

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