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Don't Run
USA 2019
produced by Ben Rood, Darien Elliott (executive), Nick Elliott (executive) for Roundhouse Flicks
directed by Ben Rood
starring Danny Irizarry, Wendy Keeling, Charlotte Arnold, Grant Brooks, Dan Foley, John Newkirk, Barb Rood, Jodie Dunn, Darlene Cooper, Jeremias Iribarren, Cody Cheatwood, Holly Arnold, Cameron Hollstegge, Dan Ray, Jesse Pepe
written by Ben Rood, music by Steven Shewbrooks
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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It's the first day in a new school for nerdy but likeable Peter (Danny
Irizarry) after he and his mom (Wendy Keeling) moved house, and things
aren't going very good, as bullies Josh (Grant Brooks) and Derek (Jeremias
Iribarren) scare him away at the bus station and he thus misses school.
Then later that day, Derek's mom dies in a car accident - and if that
wasn't bad enough, Aunt Jode (Jodie Dunn), who's to look after him for the
time being, hears a bump in the closet, goes to investigate, and never
returns. Instead Peter's visited by a mummified being who tells him he has
to be in bed every night at sundown, otherwise he'll fall prey to the
monster in the closet - and it has to be his bed, and if he tries to run
away, the monster will find and kill him. So he pretty much has to pretend
his aunt is still looking after him and has to ditch pretty much everyone
who asks too many questions. This has its positives too, as he makes
friends with neighbour girl Amy (Charlotte Arnold), and romance soon
blossoms. But then Josh and Derek egg his house, and somehow the monster
in Peter's closet catches and kills Derek - which brings two police
detectives (Dan Foley, John Newkirk) onto the scene, who start to ask too
many questions, but it also scares Josh shitless to a degree that he from
now on supplies Peter with food. Things start to really get out of hand
though when a social worker (Barb Rood) comes round as well, and
everything starts going completely downhill from there ...
Now Don't Run surely is a fun movie, a mix of
coming-of-age movie (with the mandatory teen romance thrown in), dark
fairy tale, weird horror of the Twilight
Zone variety, sort-of slasher, and whatever else you might
have, really - but thing is, it works rather beautifully, as the film
never attempts to over-explain, leaves plenty in the dark (virtually but
also literally) to keep the audience properly guessing whilce creating an
atmosphere of dread. And Danny Irizarry in the lead gives a very
compelling performance, making his fear palpable, supported by a solid
ensemble, all of which amounts to making this one a very cool ride indeed.
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