Monday, June 1

Film Review: Live-In Fear

Brandon Scullion wrote, directed, and edited Live-In Fear.  It premiered at the United Film Festival September 5, 2014.
Live-in Fear is an Iodine Sky Production, in association with MOnsterworks66Maria Olsen, the lady who puts the "MO" in MOnsterworks66, and granted us an interview in March, 2014, tells us that Live-in Fear, has not only been "screened around the world at various horror film festivals," but "won Best Grindhouse Feature at the 2014 Los Angeles RIP Horror Film Festival," and that Arielle Brachfeld, who plays Mallory, "won Best Actress for her role... at the same festival"!
Sarah Greyson, Chris Dorman, and David Lautman also co-star in this film, as Becca, Eric, and Seth, respectively.  
Our readers may have seen Sarah Greyson in at least seventeen episodes of "The Challenge"," and they may remember her from "Road Rules" in the 'Nineties.  
Chris Dorman (above) played the nefarious John May in a documentary about the infamous Valentine's Day Massacre.
David Lautman played Vampire Elvis in an episode of "C.S.I." titled "Blood Moon."

Arielle Brachfield appeared in an episode of Ron Perlman's "1000 Ways to Die" titled "Death Gets Busy," and played Giselle in seven episodes of "Hustle."

Maria Olsen plays Seth's mother.

Supporting actors include Geoffrey Gould, Myles Cranford, Charlene Geisler, and Nancy Wolfe.

Like Arielle Brachfield, Geoffrey Gould appeared in "Hustle."  He also played at least four roles in "My Name Is Earl."  

Myles Cranford has appeared in numerous productions, including "Law & Order:  LA."  

Charlene Geisler played young Rose in an episode of "N.C.I.S." titled "Nine Lives." 

Nancy Wolfe played Susan Atkins in the original, historic version of Helter Skelter (1976), based on the Charles Manson murders.

Executive Producers include Joshua Bales, Dakota Bales, Troy Butcher, Alan Gilbreath, Betty Zuardo, and Russell Zuardo.

Live-In Fear features original music by Brandon Scullion and Melinda Echeverria, production design by Danielle D'Ambra, make-up and special effects by Emily Fiora Parks, and cinematography by Matthew Espenshade.

More information is available at:


The official website:


liveinfearfilm.com
 
The official trailer: 

http://youtu.be/MlTLuVkLYGw
 

When Maria Olsen told us that Live-In Fear is about "an ancient being" who "terrorizes four friends" in "snowy Utah mountains," I, born in Brigham City and raised in Ogden, found my interest piqued.
 
Live-In Fear begs the following questions:

Will Seth, Becca, Eric, and/or Mallory enjoy any of their vacation in Utah?

What's in Seth's luggage?

Did he transport his mother's body and head in separate pieces of
luggage?

How did Seth's mother die?

Why did Seth tell his friend Eric, but not his girl friend Becca,
about his mother's death?

Why do Seth and his mother have dark rings under their eyes?

Is the Aspens Rental Agency a real place in Utah?

Why does Becca keep vomiting?

Is Becca pregnant?

If Becca is pregnant, who's the father?

Are Seth and Becca going to live happily ever after?

Are Eric and Mallory going to live happily ever after?

Are Mallory and Seth going to dump Eric and Becca, respectively, and live happily ever after with each other?

Why does Eric start vomiting?

Did someone poison Eric?

What's in Eric's pocket?

Is Eric a hopeless, abusive alcoholic?

Does Mallory cut herself, or does Eric cut her?
 

Why does the black man in the blue, Rob Roy tartan jacket keep

telling Seth and his friends that they shouldn't be where they are?

Why does he always have either an ax or a gun in his hands?

Why is there a garden of crucifixes near the vacation condos that
Seth doesn't remember, even though he's been there before?

Why do the Paps, the condo managers, wear blue uniforms with rubber gloves as if they work for a body removal service instead of as vacation condo managers?

Why does it say "Paradise" on the Paps' uniforms if they are the
managers of the Aspens Rental Agency?

Why are the Paps such religious fanatics?

What do the Paps have against atheists?

Why does Mrs. Paps tell the young vacationers things could have gone more easily for them, after Mallory admits she's an atheist?

Why is Mrs. Paps so fond of Boris Karlov?

Why does Seth get so upset when he sees a woman at the beginning of one of the video tapes in his condo, that he throws all the tapes in a dumpster without watching them?

What or who does Seth bury in the woods near his condo?

Is Seth a delusional serial killer who kills and buries people he thinks are his mother?

Which of the young vacationers is the best Jenga player?

Will anyone be able to stack all the Jenga blocks in the container, in one tower?

Why is there footage of a kaleidoscope in the middle of the film?

Why is there footage of a yellow screen fading to back and back to yellow several times in the middle of the film?

Why does Eric meet a young version of his girl friend on a beach?

Why does the young version of Mallory look like another redhead
about the same age as Mallory?

Has Seth's mother returned as a ghost, or are the young vacationers all sharing the same nightmare?

Why is a group of people, dressed somewhat like Ku Klux Klansmen,
chanting a litany in the woods, at night?

Who are the "Klansmen"?

Why do the "Klansmen" use a cheap, black plastic salsa bowl for their rituals instead of a stone
molcajete?

Why does Mallory start killing the "Klansmen," even though they seem to worship her?

Who among the young vacationers will survive their ordeals in Utah?

Who will live happily ever after?

The answers may be stranger than you think!


Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

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