Indie Gems: Starry Eyes

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How far would you go?

Sarah (Alex Essoe) is an aspiring actress in LA who's blown a few too many auditions. After one she was particularly excited for, she retreats to the restroom to throw one hell of a fit, pulling out her own hair. But strangely enough, a casting director (Maria Olsen) sees this and tells Sarah that's exactly what they're looking for. Soon, her auditions grow weirder and weirder and Sarah finds herself going to dangerous lengths to get what she wants.

For a film that stars mostly unknowns (though the wonderful Amanda Fuller and Marc Senter from Red, White and Blue have supporting roles) and was shot on a very small budget, this film looks great. The music is eerie, the cinematography is excellent, and the make up and effects are perfectly gory. It's one of the best looking indie horror films I've seen in a long time, and it's creepy as hell.

Then it gets even creepier. Essoe is a perfect fit for this role and she gives a hell of a performance. She elevates it and gives us something different from other films that involve cults. Plus there's something endlessly interesting about the dark parts of Hollywood. 

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "I am not a million other girls." - Sarah (Alex Essoe)

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 10, 2015 at 9:06 AM

    This sounds really good, and I think it's on Netflix Instant now. I'll check it out. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 10, 2015 at 9:57 AM

      That's awesome to hear it's on instant. This is one of my favorite newer horror movies now.

      Delete
  2. s.April 10, 2015 at 1:35 PM

    I really want to see it. The trailer looked kinda gritty but it's great to read it's actually not one of those 'looks terrible and cheap' indie films

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 10, 2015 at 1:46 PM

      That's always a nice thing. I like when indies can rise above budget constraints like that. Because even if I don't want to hold that against a film, sometimes I can't help it.

      Delete
  3. DellApril 11, 2015 at 6:31 AM

    Haven't heard of this one, but great-looking, gory, indie horror with a good deal of weirdness going on? I'm in!

    ReplyDelete
  4. RuthApril 11, 2015 at 4:19 PM

    It's always nice when a small movie that stars mostly unknowns ends up being such a pleasant surprise. MSPIFF is going on again for the next 3 weeks, I hope to catch a lot of these types of films during that time!

    ReplyDelete
  5. JoshApril 11, 2015 at 11:29 PM

    Ooh, I might have to give this one a look. It sounds promising.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 13, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    This sounds pretty interesting. I need to give more of these low budget horror-type flicks a try. Nice write up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 13, 2015 at 3:19 PM

      You should! Horror is usually fun, even when it's awful.

      Delete
  7. m.brownApril 14, 2015 at 1:55 PM

    Yikes.

    I'm totally in for this. A-thank you for the heads up.

    ReplyDelete
  8. msmariahApril 15, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    Great review Brittani. This really sounds like an indie gem...like a true low budget film. Sometimes those are the best ones. You definitely have me intrigued to see this.

    ReplyDelete

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