The Ruse

I really enjoyed The Ruse. The plot was not only intriguing but also tightly woven, keeping me fully engaged from beginning to end. There were several moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and the dramatic score heightened the suspense beautifully, drawing me even deeper into the story.

The performances were especially strong. The actors who played Olivia and Dale stood out, but the entire cast contributed to the film's impact.

I would highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story filled with tension, unexpected twists, and a few genuine surprises along the way.

"The Ruse" is an excellent thriller that I would very much like to recommend!

The Plot: A new caretaker, Dale (Madelyn Dundon), is hired to take care of elderly Olivia Stone (Veronica Cartwright) due to being diagnosed with dementia. While taking care of Olivia, she realizes that the caretaker before her, Tracy (Kayleigh Ruller) has disappeared without a trace, leaving Dale to piece together what happened to Tracy while trying to take great care of Olivia.

I am such a huge fan of Stevan Mena's works "Malevolence" and "Malevolence 2: Bereavement." I thought this was very engaging throughout, and this movie is directed, produced, written and even the music is done by Mena! I think that is super awesome that he has lots of control for what he wants to make! Lastly, I think these movies by Stevan Mena has me thinking he is one of the most underrated horror movie directors out there!

9/10 stars for me.

Well that was enjoyable! I just got done seeing Stevan Mena 's new suspense/thriller, "The Ruse". It reminded me of something that seems to have almost become extinct in today's movies, and something I miss. That being of a slow burn, suspense building story, reminiscent of many of the great films that the legendary Alfred Hitchcock wrote and directed. The movie stars Hitchcock alumni Veronica Cartwright (The Birds), who has been acting in movies since 1958 (67 years!), as an elderly former composer that lives alone, who now suffers from dementia, as well as OCD, and needs a live-in nurse. There is something "off" and a little creepy about her character, Olivia Stone. Cartwright's portrayal is nothing short of her performances in a lot of her other great films (Aliens, Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1978) Fairly new up and coming actress Madelyn Dundon (in her 3rd film) gives a phenomenal performance as the fill-in live-in nurse after the previous nurse goes "missing". Like other actors that started early in their careers in some of Mena's films and went on to become stars (Alexandra Daddario and Peyton List), I see a similar path for Dundon. I loved the overhead shots of the small town atmosphere surrounded by rivers, of which each individual house seem to have their own character to them (and Olivia's, though beautiful, has a creepy feel to it). The suspenseful music was spot on and set a atmospheric tone and enhanced each scenes.

Stevan Mena did a phenomenal job with this mystery thriller, at one point I felt like I was watching it adaptation of a Stephen King novel and other points felt like pure old school Hitchcock Presents. It has all the typical tropes of a Hitchcock film with spot on pacing, and shot beautifully. There are a lot of twist and turns, in a unique setting, great tension building throughout the film. Cast was phenomenal, one thing Stevan Mena does well in all his films is find those untapped talents. Watch every single one of these unknown names in this movie, They all have a very bright future out of them.

This movie is less a horror film and more of a hostage situation, except instead of ransom, they steal two hours of your life you'll never get back. I nodded off halfway through, and when I woke up, I realized nothing had changed... on screen or in my interest level. The lead actor has the charisma of soggy toast, the dialogue sounds like it was written by a sleep-deprived intern, and the pacing moves slower than DMV paperwork. As for scares? Please. I've been more unsettled by my neighbor's wind chimes at 3 a.m. By the end, I was rooting for the credits to roll just so I could escape. Honestly, if you're looking for a thrill, try staring at a blank wall instead, you'll get the same effect, but at least the wall won't insult your intelligence.