[Film Review] Sadistic Intentions (2018)

Synopsis: A psychotic musician lures a fellow band-mate and an unsuspecting woman to a remote mansion for a night of romantic deceit and grinding metal mayhem.

The variety of independent horror cinema available to viewers through platforms like Shudder makes it a truly exciting time to follow the genre. There really is something for everyone, even if those gems sometimes arrive a little later than their initial festival premieres. If, like me, you find yourself drawn to those films that weave horror tropes and ideas, almost as background to the character interactions and time spent with them, you are sure to get a lot from Sadistic Intentions. If you remain unconvinced, this likely won’t be the film to convince you.

Eric Pennycoff’s debut feature as a writer and director is striking, fully in control of its plot beats and wider themes. This is a film that knows it has strengths (the performers) and potential weaknesses (the budget) so offsets this by keeping things simple, yet effective, mostly confined to a single location. The look of the house that provides the location for most of the runtime is excellent, with the sugary sweet, delicate décor a place that neither metalhead Stu (Jeremy Gardner) nor the more relaxed Chloe (Taylor Zaudtke) fit into comfortably. The strong sense of feeling like a fish out of water, thanks to concealed details and snapshots of events, throws us into the same space as the characters, getting to know them in a way that feels organic, even if not entirely stable. Static shots of the trees outside the property have a duality; on one hand it hints at a potential outside threat, but on the other, it confirms the remoteness of the property and sense that the characters are entirely trapped.

In any film like this, the success rests almost entirely on the performances. Happily, we get three rock solid showings here. Taylor Zaudtke’s breezy Chloe is always on the right side of ditzy, easy-going but no pushover, insisting on her own space and holding her own with the more surly, combative and occasionally melancholic Stu (Jeremy Gardner). There is an uneasy chemistry that emerges instantly, and the push-pull of their connection sustains the quieter half of the film. In contrast, Michael Patrick Nicholson’s Kevin ruptures any of that peace, in a performance that is at full speed from the first glimpse. There is little room for nuance, but it is an impressively rattling performance, nonetheless.

The lean runtime of just under an hour and twenty minutes would indicate that we are in for a brisk, action-packed film and while that isn’t the case here, it never feels overlong. The best way to describe it is as a film that desperately wants to be a romance, but one that is repeatedly interrupted by more sinister forces. A ‘meet-cute’ underscored by a jump-scare feels like a perfect snapshot of what the film is doing. There are some moments in the final act that feel a little messy and lacking in coherence, but these are mostly offset by slowing down and handing back to the performers to sell it. That tapping of the brakes during these sections maintains the tension, without drawing things to a complete halt.

During the film, Stu laments how ‘safe’ metal has become, reduced to a series of stunts as opposed to genuine morbid fascination and a desire to push boundaries. There is more than a hint of Scream DNA here, not in the meta slasher sense, but in the way phone calls manipulate the action and other plot elements difficult to elaborate on without revealing too much. This is a film that should be seen knowing as little as possible, ideally. The role of metal music also echoes Scream’s treatment of horror films, not as to blame for antisocial or psychopathic behaviour but as a connecting thread for those who would enact violence regardless of their interest.

As a first feature, this is not without flaws, but an excellent statement that hints at more good work to come. A deliberate, engaging slice of indie horror that delivers on its tension, all the way to a satisfying conclusion.

Sadistic Intentions is now available to stream on Shudder.

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