Frank Walker is on the edge. He hasn't had a job in a long time. He's behind on his rent, and he is starved for female attention. He spends his nights alone in his shabby apartment, or getting drunk (and failing with women) at a local bar. When Charlie, a fellow drunk, follows him home one night to share a few beers, and starts badgering Frank about his life and his behavior, anything, anything at all is bound to happen....
This is the setup for "Faces", the latest indie horror/thriller from writer/director/star Tom Ryan, and Theatre of Terror productions. As we follow the events of Frank's life over the course of a few days, we see a desperate man, spiraling out of control, but trying to keep some semblance of order, with the help of some new "friends" who come into his life. Who these people are, I will not say. You will have to see for yourself, but it all builds to a startling climax.
In 2009, New Jersey native Tom Ryan unleashed "Day 9" on the world, which was a decent, low-budget zombie short film, with a surprisingly powerful ending. With "Faces", Ryan has taken his game to a completely different level. The Horror Nerd has seen a lot of indie films, with all kinds of budgets. Some are good, many are bad, but with a budget of around only $1,000, "Faces" is one of the best.
The writing is tight and efficient, and there are very few "throwaway" lines or scenes. Sometimes, what happens in a low budget indie film is that everything suffers because of the lack of funds. I'm OK with minimal effects due to budget limitations, but you can still have a good script and good direction and thankfully, "Faces" has both.
I need to make special mention of the acting performances that Tom was able to pull out of his cast. Indie horror veterans such as Edward X Young, Deana Demko, Joe Parascand and Bradley Creanzo all play their roles to perfection. Relative newcomers Paul Gmitter, Tom Schorr and Caroline Pozycki also turn in excellent performances, and I hope to see more of them in the very near future. The rest of the cast does a great job as well.
In closing, "Faces" is one of the best indie films I have seen this year, and the crowd which attended the world premiere at the historic Landmark Lowes Theater in Jersey City, NJ shared the same opinion. When I spoke to several of the attendees, many of them filmmakers themselves, every single person had good things to say about the film.
This is one indie horror film you NEED to check out!
