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Exposure Review

November 2, 2018 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz
Exposure
7.5
The 411 Rating
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Exposure Review  

Exposure Review

Carmen Anello– Myra
Owen Lawless– James
Lynn Lowry– Grandmother
Bruce Smith– Grandfather

Directed by Austin Snell
Screenplay by Jake Jackson and Austin Snell

Distributed by Sunrunner Films

Not Rated
Runtime– 77 minutes

Check it out here

ExposurePoster

Exposure, directed and co-written by Austin Snell, is a low budget horror flick about a damaged couple who go out to the woods in an attempt to repair their relationship and, in the process of trying to do that, have to deal with some supernatural hooha. I thought it was going to be one of those ghost movies that are so popular nowadays. Instead, Exposure actually goes in a different direction entirely.

The movie stars Carmel Anello and Owen Lawless as Myra and James, a damaged young couple that’s heading out to the woods to work on their relationship. They stay in a house that, at one time, belonged to James’ grandparents. It’s a nice, old house out in the middle of nowhere. The remoteness and quiet of the area is exactly what they need. Myra can paint (she’s an artist), James can fish and walk in the wilderness, and they’ll be able to talk and whatnot. Life will be wonderful.

In theory, anyway. It takes about a day for all of the goodness and happiness they both feel to dissipate dramatically. Myra is weirded out by how hard James seems to be trying to “fix” things. Myra also starts hearing weird voices both inside and outside of the house. What the hell are the voices saying? James, meanwhile, just seems to get angry and scared at random moments. Is he upset by something Myra does/doesn’t do? Is he dealing with some sort of residual personal problem imbedded in his head? Is being in his grandparents’ old house out in the woods bringing back old, bad memories? And what’s the deal with his sudden disappearances every so often? Where the hell is he going? Just what the hell is going on here?

Myra and James try to talk it out. James divulges what he remembers about his grandparents back in the day. Apparently, there was a weird incident when James was a kid involving his grandfather disappearing in the woods and everyone thinking he had a stroke. Instead, grandpa was accosted by something evil. But what? Just what the hell is going on here?

It’s at this point in the story that I thought I had it all figured out, that what Myra and James are dealing with is an old ghost that, by the end of the movie, will try to make Myra and James “one” with the house or the woods or whatever the fuck. Instead, Exposure goes in a completely different direction. The menace they’re dealing with is supernatural in origin, but it isn’t a ghost. It’s something else entirely. And it’s that “something else” that will separate Exposure from the rest of the low budget horror movie pack.

So what is that something else? I can’t tell you that. That would be spoiling things. If and when you see Exposure (and you absolutely need to see Exposure), you need to experience it as clean as possible. I won’t say it’s mind-blowing, but it’s damn close. It will definitely freak you out.

The atmosphere Snell creates is overwhelming once the supernatural hooey begins. You never know when the evil will show up or what it will do. Before that stuff starts to happen, the house in the woods is a rather beautiful location. It doesn’t look threatening at all. When the fog and the glowing doors and shit show up, though, all bets are off. You just don’t know what the house or the woods surrounding it are going to do.

The cast, while small, is excellent. Carmen Anello does a fine job as Myra, the artist trying to save her relationship with her boyfriend James. At first, she seems to be the “perpetually happy” one in the relationship. There doesn’t appear to be an ounce of melancholy in her. Once James starts to act strangely and her ex-boyfriend starts texting her, Myra’s demeanor changes and she slowly goes into survival mode. Myra also deals with her own blackouts and periods of missing time. Will the evil that exists in these woods get her? I would like to know how Anello feels about director Snell’s preoccupation with her feet. Was she as creeped out by it as I was or did she find it endearing?

Owen Lawless also does a fine job as James, the boyfriend that Myra is concerned about. Is he trying too hard to fix things? Is he hiding his true feelings? And where the hell does he keep going when he disappears? Lawless always seems to be on the verge of exploding once Myra questions him about trying too hard. Just how annoyed does he have to get before he does explode? And will he be able to fight off the supernatural evil that is clearly trying to take him over? I think you’ll dig what Lawless does with James as the story’s nastiness progresses.

Modern horror icon Lynn Lowry pops in as the Grandmother and does a good job with what amounts to a small role. Bruce Smith plays the Grandfather and gives the movie’s most wacked out performance. Grandfather isn’t normal. That’s all I can say.

Exposure is a very cool, surprising low budget horror flick. You think it’s going to go one way and it actually gores somewhere else. It shocked me, and I think it will shock you, too. Give Exposure a shot. It’s available on Showtime On Demand as I write this, or you can check it out on Amazon. It’s worth it.

See Exposure. See it, see it, see it. Expose yourself to it.

So what do we have here?

Dead bodies: 1.

Undead bodies: 2

Explosions: None.

Nudity?: A little.

Doobage: Old trees in the woods, an old picture, a house in the woods, a total lack of drapes or blinds on the windows, attempted sex, picture frame breaking, luggage unpacking, multiple instances of weird voices, painting, blanket hooey, some pretty sweet underwear, texting bullshit, weird light and smoke, a total lack of hot water, really poor shirtless wood cutting, hatchet bullshit, outdoor painting, a room full of candles, a flashback, a hike in the woods, more weird voices, fishing, slimy wood with a surprise inside, a bloody hand, feinting, a nasty hand wound, sex, dream hooey, wooden pylon punching, a woods search, goo city, teeth issues, face slapping, claws, a giant flashlight, worm attack, hatchet to the chest, a major transformation, chest slicing, multiple projectiles, glass vase to the head, finger through the chest, a gross fucking tongue, projectile through the knee, bloody heart removal, and a nice closing theme.

Kim Richards?: None.

Gratuitous: An Emily Dickinson quote, too much luggage, a foot massage and a discussion about that foot massage, a landscape painting, a blanket, hatchet bullshit, putting wood in a furnace, Lynn Lowry, chin talk, multiple instances of the camera focusing on Carmen Anello’s feet, multiple flashbacks, and a nice closing theme.

Best lines: “This is an oldie,” “It is really beautiful up here,” “Guess we’re not breaking in the new bed. Why? It’s full,” “So, do you want to talk?,” “What’s the matter with you? You look spooked,” “You going barefoot this morning?,” “Nice axe. Yeah, it was all I could find,” “If I don’t get some hot water soon I’m gonna turn that hatchet on you!,” “Don’t tell me to calm down! I know what I saw!,” “Jimmy…,” “I think we need more wine,” “Got that shoe tied yet?,” “Hey! Gotcha. You know I hate my picture taken!,” “So you’re telling me we’re having fish for dinner?,” “There! Maybe next time don’t be such a dick about it!,” “What’s the matter, babe?,” “You know I would never hurt you, Myra,” “Dammit, James, this isn’t funny! Where are you?,” “I’m fine!,” “Baby, your hand looks really bad,” “James, you have to believe me! I love you!,” “I am theirs! I am them!,” “Why? Why are you doing this?,” “You’re going to have to do better than that!,” and “I love you. I’ve always loved you. But this isn’t going to work out.”

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
I didn’t expect Exposure to be as good as it is. I thought it was going to be another ghost movie. It isn’t. Instead, it’s a low budget surprise that, if it hits you right, will shock you. Great performances, great atmosphere, and a real sense of dread, Exposure has everything. If you’re a low budget horror movie nerd, check it out on DVD or on Showtime. It’s well worth your time. And, heck, it’s only 77 minutes long. I think you can spare 77 minutes.
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Exposure, Bryan Kristopowitz