PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ve been following the Bandit Motion Pictures crew since they released Harvest Lake. I’ve donated to all their crowdfunding campaigns since. Everytime they announce a new film I get super excited to see what they come up with next. After years of inactivity, the Bandit Motion Pictures crew is back with the psychological horror film Gush.
Synopsis
A traumatized horror novelist (Ellie Church) feels pressured to complete a trilogy of books, but is only able to do so with the help of a mysterious mute woman (Alyss Winkler) who visits her during a solitary writing retreat. As the inspiration flows, the author falls in love with her muse and the two begin a romantic relationship that helps the author put her troubled past behind her. But when the author discovers the muse might have deadly, ulterior motives, she fears she may not reach “The End” of her story alive.
Gush was written and directed by Scott Schirmer (Found) and Brian K. Williams (Time to Kill). The film stars Ellie Church (Frankenstein Created Bikers), Alyss Winkler (Plankface), Jason Crowe (Space Babes From Outer Space), William Glenn Christopher, Ben Bladon (The Haunted Mansion), and Layla Heather Pendley (Strip Club Massacre).
First, I just want to say how awesome it was to get to watch a new film from the Bandit Motion Pictures crew. It’s been way too long. The wait was definitely worth it. Gush is a surreal and disorienting ride where viewers question everything they are seeing. There are definitely some images in Gush that I won’t be getting out of my head anytime soon. Credit to Brian K Williams for the excellent cinematography.
The film is story of a tortured artist who has lost their desire to write horror stories after an unspeakable tragedy. At the urging of her husband, she goes to a secluded house by the woods to find her voice again and write the last book in her horror trilogy. Not long after arriving she encounters a mysterious mute woman who inspires her in shocking ways to write her latest novel. I won’t say much more about the plot because I don’t want to ruin it but things definitely gets pretty weird and crazy. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. I feel like I’ll have to revisit the film a couple times to really piece everything together but it’s a hell of a journey.
Ellie Church is phenomenal as Sally. You can really feel the pain she is going through and how tormented and traumatized she is. There’s a moment where she lets out a guy wrenching scream and it reminded me of a similar situation in my life where I did something like that. It was cathartic and heartbreaking to watch. Alyss Winkler is an absolute presence as The Muse. She doesn’t have any dialogue and you’re always left wondering what she is thinking. She slinks her way across screen and is absolutely mesmerizing. The character is a mystery as we don’t really get why she does the things she does and how much of what she shows us is real. Her presence is disorienting.
The chemistry between Ellie Church and Alyss Winkler is electric. It’s hard to take your eyes off them. Jason Crowe, as Sally’s husband Kevin, is great as always. I’m always excited to see Jason in films and her really made me feel for a character I initially wanted to hate. There’s a scene between Jason and Ellie that had me entranced. I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It was such a emotional tense scene.
Final Thoughts
Gush is surreal and disorienting, emotional and cathartic and completely engaging. The film features a trio of wonderful performances from Ellie Church, Alyss Winkler and Jason Crowe. Gush is a welcome return for the Bandit Motion Pictures crew. Highly recommend.
