Where Is She?

"A Mind Twist", is my best description of what the movie will do to you. The story line will test your imagination and your understanding of life and the after life. The music and sound will give you chills and make your hair stand up. Sit back, relax and hold on for the ride!

A very well produced micro-budget horror film that uses atmosphere and a claustrophobic setting to full effect, Where is She? keeps you guessing. After the film is over you may find yourself pondering what you just saw, with questions that may elicit additional viewings. The reason I gave the film an 8 is that I do feel it runs a little long and could have been trimmed down. Also there is one character in the film whose part of the story seemed to be dismissed without explanation. Still, I feel that overall this is a film worth checking out, especially if you are an aficionado of the horror genre.

In just 46 minutes with a tiny cast and a single small location, creator Jerry Woods delivers a story that resonated beyond the credits. The stark and claustrophobic setting, lit with the atmospheric glow of kerosene lanterns, supports a plot that revels in twists and loops to create a mind-messing experience. It begins with an almost banal set-up: Long-married couple takes a vacation in a rustic cabin. Then Reality takes a hike shortly after a young girl comes trick or treating. And never returns. The performances are solid and the flaws so minor as to pass right on by; a fright shot too quick for impact, shadows very briefly a little too thick, a reveal telegraphed. Not even these minor flaws exist in the soundtrack. The sound is layered in, subtly enhancing the visuals without distracting from them and the score crawls up your spine and lodges in the lizard brain where primitive fear lives. Mention must be made of the masks manifested by Dan Flanders. There are several but it is as if one is morphing into another. Collectively, they are a fourth main character and have much to tell. Jerry Woods has tapped into something that flows beneath rational thought and has such a deft and confident touch, I believe he could make a sunlit 4th of July parade a horror show.

I can see what the makers were going for here, a sort of deep and arty film. But it fails miserably. I'll give it two stars for the atmosphere and the nice stage set, but it lacks a decent story and most of the time it makes no sense. This was probably deliberate to make it more enigmatic. But it's mostly a lot of not much going on, and even what does go on is shot so darkly that it's makes even harder to make sense of. I think it has some Kafkaesque meaning about creating our own private hell or something, but it didn't hold my interest enough for me to want to think too deeply about it.

I love a bad horror movie. I'm okay with low budget and even less than great acting. I can even deal with a plot that isn't straight forward or linear. This movie was just....bad. I didn't turn it off, but I could have in the first half hour and wouldn't have missed anything by doing that. Watch it and decide for yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.