PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Lou Simon came onto my radar back in 2016 when I first saw All Girls Weekend. What stuck with me about this film was it was all women, made by a woman, with practical effects and enough of everything else to keep me interested. So when I was given the opportunity to review her latest film, a rape/revenge flick called 3: An Eye for an Eye, I jumped at the chance.
What made this offer even sweeter is it included an interview with Lou. Why would I say no?
3: An Eye for an Eye comes to us from Uncork’d Entertainment. Not only did Ms. Simon write and direct this film, but she also produced it. It’s set with a great soundtrack by Mike Damon, and boasts a minimal cast. When I first read the synopsis for this film, another revenge film came to mind, and I was preparing myself for the usual story line. Boy, was I wrong. 3 has an incredibly creative and unique script, making this film not at all average.
I like revenge films because of the violence that they usually include. There’s something fun and fulfilling about cheering on a character as they enact this vengeance on those who have wronged them. With 3, we are taken on a psychological journey of PTSD, terror and abuse with these people, known as He (Todd Bruno – also in Simon’s debut, HazMat), She (Aniela McGuinness from HazMat too), and It (Mike Stanley).
We are first introduced to It as He and She kidnap, and tie him up in the basement of a farmhouse. It becomes apparent from their arguing, that He and She barely know each other, having met in the office of their shared therapist. They have come together and kidnapped It with the intention of getting a taped confession for a horrible crime they believe he committed, and then leave him where they found him. They have a hard time agreeing on anything, and often, He questions the validity of the story She is feeding him.
“You can scream all you want. No one can hear you out here.”
Thus begins the torment of the entrapped It by He, trying to coerce a taped confession, and using any means necessary. “All you have to do is tell the world exactly what happened, and this will all be over,” he tells It, while pointing a video camera at him. But It will not confess to something he so adamantly denies. He finds himself in a downward spiral, trying to remain composed enough to get this confession, while also taking care of the traumatized She. In a final act of desperation, It agrees to go on camera, starting the climax of the film that will shake you to your core, but at the same time, break your heart.
3: An Eye for an Eye is a horror film for those who love practical effects, creative storytelling, intrigue and suspense, all set against of backdrop of beautiful cinematography. It will keep you at the edge of your seat until the last frame, when it smacks you in your face and reminds you that it’s in control.
