While home invasion horror films still flood the market – we shall see if “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” ends up tackling a “The Strangers” like, or more Tarantino revisionist approach (which it could be leaning towards) to its historic subject matter – spine chillers set against the backdrop of Mother Nature (like Ari Aster’s upcoming “Midsommar” seem to continually attract audiences. A trailer has just arrived for director Roxanne Benjamin’s feature-length debut, “Body at Brighton Rock,” following an inexperienced park ranger (Karina Fontes) whose responsibilities make her feel no less endangered inside its scenic confines.
A specific type of horror filmmaker has long seemed attracted to wildlife preservation stories. Its iconography suits the trials and tribulations of a genre naturally rooted in the act of survival. Think about the locations a director such as M. Night Shyamalan sets his films in (“The Village,” the zoo from “Split” and “Glass”); he’s concerned with the creation of boundaries, and Mother Earth often serves as an obstacle for his characters (“Unbreakable,” “The Happening”).
Here is the film’s synopsis:
Wendy, a part time summer employee at a mountainous state park, takes on a rough trail assignment at the end of the season, trying to prove to her friends that she’s capable enough to do the job. When she takes a wrong turn and ends up deep in the backcountry, she stumbles upon what might be a potential crime scene. Stuck with no communication after losing her radio and with orders to guard the site, Wendy must fight the urge to run and do the harder job of staying put — spending the night deep in the wilderness, facing down her worst fears and proving to everyone – including herself – that she’s made of stronger stuff than they think she is.
Benjamin is known for her work on horror anthology projects, such as “Southbound” and “XX”. Her first full-length narrative appears to be a one-woman survival story – more in the thrilling vein of “127 Hours” crossed with “The Grey” (subtract the snow and cold and replace the wolves with a bear), as opposed to an eerie mystery along the line of “Picnic at Hanging Rock.” There is apparently a whodunit component to the plot, but the flick appears more interested in the primal.
There will always be an audience of adrenaline junkies who flock to theaters in order to tap into the anxious side of their senses, excited to debate and discuss their feelings after. How many conversations have you seen, or had, about whether “Us” lived up to the hype or not? Lose count already? Time will tell if Roxanne Benjamin’s ‘Brighton Rock’ will find similar popularity.
“Body at Brighton Rock” will be released by Magnolia Pictures on April 26.
