HIDEOUT (REVIEW)
Dir. Kris Roselli
Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield
HIDEOUT answers the question, what would happen if the Gecko Brothers went to the Firefly house instead of the Titty Twister. In short, after a robbery goes wrong, three fugitives take hideout at a suburban household but on arrival soon realise they may have been safer outside.
At it's best, HIDEOUT is balls-to-the-wall horror pleasure. The b-movie aesthetic is more knowing than many will give it credit for and feels like a blend of August Underground and early Raimi is a perfect showcase of Kris Roselli's penchant for horror. There are some truly imaginative and shockingly chilling scenes within the cat and mouse play of the occupants and guests and as each persons motives come to the centre, their weaknesses play, quite literally, in their hands. One scene with a snake is frankly one of the best horror scenes from independent cinema ever.
The practical effects work forever in the film's favour and is testament that no matter what budget the film is set with, the more physical the horror, the more real it becomes.
The cast play best when they are fighting with each other (especially once Chris Wolfe's Reed comes into play) and the power dynamics between them constantly shift as much as a Lament Configuration during a bout for pleasure. The film often traverses between what is real and what is not but not to the detriment of any progression and when the true course of events comes to the centre of the story, it's both earned and terrifying.
At just shy of two hours long, it feels like a long ride and one that is perhaps a little longer than it should be. While the contents of the film are faultless, at every twist and turn it seems there's much more still yet to unravel and the end result feels as though it slightly outstays its welcome. With a tighter edit HIDEOUT could be something truly special but instead will inevitably hit those hardest with a short attention span, for those looking for a flashback of how indie horrro can be entertaining, then HIDEOUT ticks the box.
