View from the Edge is well-paced psychological horror

Eli-Bella Wood and Adam Zuniga in View from the Edge- Courtesy of DNA Productions

Writer/director Michael Lippert's indie horror film View from the Edge is a well-crafted feature that's part slasher and part psychological thriller. It doesn't necessarily do anything new with either subgenre, but it has plenty of uncomfortable moments and some grisly scenes, especially in its second half. It's also strengthened by its memorable ensemble cast.

View from the Edge has a fairly familiar set-up. Three married couples partake in an online meet-up. It's there that they encounter the strange and eccentric Charles F. Benjamin (Matt Gallagher). Though he only met the couples once, as soon as they arrive back home, he invites them to his lake-front property for a weekend, though it's unclear how he obtained any of their numbers to text them. Anyone who has seen a horror movie understands that this is a major red flag, and some characters express severe reservations, including Eli-Bella Wood's character Kate, who tells her husband Rob (Adam Zuniga) more than once that Charles could be a murderer, and well, it turns out she's right. Wood is a major highlight in the leading role, her first major acting part after directing the stellar short film Death Drive. Unlike the other characters, Kate knows to trust her instincts, and overall, she's a strong female character, even if she can't fully convince her partner not to trust such a weird stranger. I sincerely hope that Wood continues acting and directing because she has a heck of a lot of talent in both roles.

What this film also does well is establish its characters, specifically the couples. Kate is an artist who sells weird teddy bears. Rob is generally a supportive spouse and believes that one day, Kate's artistic talents will lead to a steady revenue stream of teddy bear orders. Then there's the hypersexualized Jade (Ashley Rose Caputo) and her husband Dawson (Tre Ryan). These two add some levity and comedy, and they push the boundaries of normal behavior. In fact, at one point, they snort cocaine in front of the other couples, once Charles heads to bed. The cast is rounded out by the wealthy Paul (Steve Kasan) and his spoiled wife, Vicky (Vanesa Tamayo). Before the murder and mayhem starts, we spend about an hour with these characters getting to know them and how drastically different each character is from the other. There's also a riotous scene featuring cult movie actress Debbie Rochon. She plays a country store cashier named Dolores who has a punk rock edge and nearly scares the couples off before they even arrive at Charles' swanky property. My only gripe about Rochon's role is that she wasn't in the movie long enough.

The film contains a few experimental choices that didn't quite land for me. For instance, when the couples attend the first meet-up, there's a cacophony of voices heard in the background. They're all credited in the cast, and some of them are well-known in the horror genre, including John A. Russo, of Night of the Living Dead fame, Troma Films founder Llyod Kaufman, and Brinke Stevens (Slumber Party Massacre). Yet the voices are so loud at points that it becomes difficult to actually hear the main characters talk. I questioned the point of these voices, which occur during other scenes later on, too. While the voice cameos are cool, they're ultimately distracting.

There's also more than one moment when Paul drops the n word. It's incredibly uncomfortable, and yet, the characters hardly react to it. It's unclear if Lippert wanted to push PC sensibilities, but it didn't need to be in there. It's unclear why Paul even does it more than once. The humor, if that's the intention, just doesn't work.

With nearly a two-hour runtime, the film includes about a 10-minute intermission and then leads hard into the horror for the second hour. There are some brutal kills in this and glimpses into Charles' whacked-out psyche. He even talks to a teddy bear as he masturbates and watches the other couples. It's all kinds of icky, but the film stretches its micro budget to include some gruesome and surprising deaths. Kudos to the team for using practical effects and even incorporating a live wolf at one point.

View from the Edge works because it takes its time establishing its main characters, which makes the eventual deaths feel that much more impactful. There are some startling moments and unnerving turns in this feature, especially in the second half. Though the movie has a familiar set-up, it pushes boundaries and proves how creative indie filmmaking can be.

The movie will have its premiere at the Gasparilla Film Festival on March 7 in Tampa, FL.

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