Entire Scary Movie, Full Horror Movie, Full Length Horror Feature Film, English, Original Language: SHOW YOURSELF (2016). He came to let go. Something won't let him.
Director: Billy Ray Brewton
Writer: Billy Ray Brewton
Stars: Ben Hethcoat, Corsica Wilson, Barak Hardley
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 14 August 2018 (USA)
PLOT: When his friend Paul dies unexpectedly, Travis heads into the woods to say goodbye. As Travis deals with his grief, and the way it has affected the relationships in his life, he starts to realize that he actually might not be alone in the woods. Curiosity turns to horror as Travis comes face-to-face with something both inexplicable and frighteningly familiar.
COPYRIGHT: All of the films published by us are legally licensed. We have acquired the rights (at least for specific territories) from the rightholders by contract. If you have questions please send an email to: info@amogo.de
Description, written by Mrs. NORMAN MAINE:
The film is the story of Travis (Ben Hethcoat), a young Hollywood actor, whose friend Paul (Clancy McCartney) has committed suicide. Travis has decided to take Paul’s ashes with him to an isolated camp in the California mountains to grieve, come to terms with the death, and scatter the ashes. Being a good millennial, Travis has this smartphone and tablet and laptop full of photographic and film clip memories of Paul and stays in touch with this girlfriend (Corsica Wilson), the director of his upcoming film project (Stephen Cone) and other friends of his (Barak Hardley, David McElwee). All of these characters only appear in Skype and Face Time conversations or in video memories. While there, things start to go bump in the night and Travis starts to see things that make him think that perhaps Paul isn’t quite so dead. Is Paul’s ghost real or is it a figment of Travis’s imagination, brought about through feelings of guilt that he somehow had a role in his friend’s suicide?
Show Yourself begins with all the tropes of a 1980s-slasher film. Isolated woods setting. Crusty caretaker (Robert Longstreet). Disorienting camera moves. Classic pop music selections that slyly comment on the action. However, just when you think it’s going to become another variation on Friday the 13th, it reveals itself to be a psychological study of a young man confronting mortality and the conundrums of life, making it a much more interesting film than it would otherwise have been. The low budget prevents the use of expensive special effects and the film gets maximum mileage out of ordinary scares. A knock on the door when there should be no one there. The silhouette of a hand on the outside of a tent, trying to get in. Director Brewton turns his limitations into advantages as we must supply much of the detail from our own imaginations which is far creepier than anything we can be shown.
Show Yourself succeeds due to the talents of two people. The first is the performance of Ben Hethcoat in the central role. In many ways, it’s nearly a one-person film and it takes a talented actor to keep us interested and engaged in Travis’s long night’s journey into day and he is up to the challenge. We actually care what’s happening to him. The second is writer/director Brewton. He has a knack for dialogue that sounds like the way people really talk to each other, mixing humor and poignancy together in perfectly proportioned amounts. Brewton is equally assured behind the camera, showing a knowledge of film technique far in advance of his years and credits. If there is one serious flaw in the film, it’s that the climax and catharsis are not as strong as I would have wished. In some ways, the film peters out in its last act. I’m perfectly happy with the somewhat elliptical storytelling (not all is explained in words of one syllable for the audience) but I would have liked something a bit stronger in the final confrontation but the pulled punches may be deliberate as that’s the way life really works.
It’s a much better film than the usual low budget horror film and worth seeking out when it comes to a theater or streaming service near you.
COPYRIGHT: All of the films published by us are legally licensed. We have acquired the rights (at least for specific territories) from the rightholders by contract. If you have questions please send an email to: info@amogo.de
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