By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Though, I try to keep my finger on the pulse of upcoming suspense and horror related productions. Somehow, this one was missed. Until scrolling through available films on Amazon’s streaming service, I had never heard of Body (2015).
The film opens with three close girl friends in their mid-twenties on the night before Christmas Eve. They are all celebrating with wine and weed but soon grow bored. Cali (Alexandra Turshen), the boldest of the group, suggest they go to her uncle’s huge house to party.
Holly (Helen Rogers) and Mel (Lauren Molina) agree to go but when they arrive they see that the pictures on the wall are of an Asian family. Cali who is white, blonde haired and blue-eyed is questioned when she finally admits that it’s not her uncle’s house but merely someone she knows.
Mel and Holly are furious and they all decide to leave when the grounds-keeper Arthur (Larry Fessenden) shows up. Cali runs by him, but the other two gals get caught in his grasp as he demands to know who they are. With combined force they shove him to get by, but instead he trips and falls down the stairs, appearing dead.
The three girls concoct a story that Arthur was a rapist and attacked Holly. She fought back and he ended up down the flight of stairs. That would’ve worked only Arthur wakes up. He’s paralyzed but begs for his life. He swears he’ll keep quiet and begs for an ambulance.
Cali is still determined to stick to their story and wants to kill him. Holly and Mel are adamant about calling the police. They argue that things have changed since Arthur is now alive and rather than accidentally killing him, Cali’s suggestion would be cold-blooded murder. Not to mention, they have second thoughts about painting Arthur as a rapist. He has a family and just wants medical treatment.
Throughout the remaining film, we see the women turn on one another and lose trust in the friendship and bond they had only hours ago believed in so strongly.
Overall, it’s a really good movie. The acting is what sells it. All four of the main players raise the material given to a higher level. In truth, there are no secrets revealed or major surprises. It’s simply how these women each handle the situation they’re in. It reminded me of a film I loved as a kid called No Secrets (1991). I haven’t seen it in over twenty years, but as a pre-teen, I rented it constantly. From my recollection, the parents of three highschool teens who when children were best friends force their daughters to get together in a cabin for a weekend. They are all in different cliques and dislike each other. A mysterious guy arrives and things go from bad to worse for the three girls.
The behavior of the women is what really reminded me of No Secrets. There was the bold blonde beauty, the dark haired one with conviction, and the follower who would go on either side if fully accepted.
I’d like to watch No Secrets again and do a side-by-side comparison with Body and see if my memory is as good as I think it is.
As far as Body goes, if you’re looking for a drama with intense moments and really great acting. It’s not a horror movie so definitely skip if you want some genuine scares. It certainly has suspsenseful and dark violent scenes which come on in a strong and believable way. It’s worth the rent and if you’re a teenage girl, probably worth the buy.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
