By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Ada (Lisa Friedrich) and Calvin (Micheal Foulk) are a couple with problems as their sex life has deteriorated. Ada became resistant due to an unknown psychological problem stemming from her childhood that she can’t quite remember. Her therapist believes she may have been molested, but she can’t gain the courage to ask her mother or brother about the past.
Desperate to fix the problem, Calvin decides to take a road-trip with Ada to her small hometown, Sheol Oklahoma where less than 80 people live.
His first encounter in Sheol is an interesting one when he goes into a store to find Teddy Grahams and is nearly killed with the shop owner draws a gun and tells him to leave town. He is petrified but decides not to tell Ada. Instead, they go to where her old house was, but it’s now gone. With no other options, they visit her very religious and peculiar Aunt Lindsay (Jill Thompson) who is both on drugs and violently abused by her husband. She takes them both in, but refuses to answer questions regarding where Ada’s childhood home has gone. That night Ada has a nightmare concerning her grandfather, her youth and Calvin.
The next morning Ada and Calvin venture out to investigate the town. After walking through a graveyard, they come to a church where they meet Preacher Woodward (Dustin Runnels). Woodward tells Calvin that he was brought there to kill himself which is where they both draw the line. They decide to leave Oklahoma, but when they go back to get their car, it’s been set on fire.
They try to escape the town on foot, but with angry men chasing them they have no choice but to return to the Preacher who had claimed they were brought back to Sheol to die.
This is a really intense production with great acting and creepy atmosphere that pays off at the end. One truly sympathizes with the couple and hope they get out alive. The dialogue is strong and believable.
I definitely suggest this film. It’s unique, captivating and definitely comes full circle. There are both moments that terrify and moments that entertain. There are also parts of the film that are just sad. Seeing the self-destructiveness and dysfunction of any family in a depressed state of being can really be compelling when done right, and here it is.
Not to mention, it was excellent to see the acting chops of Dustin Runnels. He was always a great wrestler and asset to the wrestling world. It’s great to know that he is one of many wrestlers who also are fantastic at acting.
This is certainly a worthy entry of director Lex Lybrand and I look forward to all of his future work.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8.5/10
