★★★★
‘An enticing feature debut’
The Hollywood News

‘Effective home invasion horror’
Dread Central

Last Straw is a raw and relentless home invasion thriller starring Jessica Belkin (American Horror Story), Jeremy Sisto (Thirteen, Clueless) and Taylor Kowalski (Snowfall).

Set over one night in a dusty roadside diner, Last Straw follows Nancy (Belkin), a young waitress working alone on the late shift. As a series of chaotic events spiral out of control, Nancy finds herself in a fight for her life when she is terrorised by a group of masked assailants. No one is who they appear to be, and with nowhere to turn, she must do everything she can to survive the night.

Last Straw has played at genre film festivals around the world including Beyond Fest, Sitges and FrightFest Glasgow, and marks the directorial debut of Alan Scott Neal with a script by Taylor Sardoni.

Last Straw is out now on Digital Platforms including to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video from Blue Finch Films

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

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It transpires that Kate’s husband is currently awaiting trial for the murder and Kate lives in constant fear of his possible release. Her paranoia is evident as she imagines intruders in the house and worries about Beth being kidnapped.

Beth is tired of her mother’s constant nagging, bored of the safe house and just wants to be able to see her Dad again, who she clearly believes is innocent of the crime he has been accused of.

The situation is further complicated when the safe house suffers a home invasion from Mary (Kristen MacCulloch – Psychogoreman, 2020) and Lewis (Nick Smyth – For the Sake of Vicious, 2020), the parents of the deceased. They have their own theory on who killed their daughter and are out for vengeance.

As more details of the day of the murder are revealed the identity of the guilty party becomes more and more convoluted, until the final act brings all the players together for the startling reveal.

As plot lines go, there is nothing new here. It’s a standard take on the old ‘Whodunnit’ formula and, anyone who has seen any movie of this type will have little trouble in guessing the identity of the killer long before the reveal.

That being said there is still a good deal here to recommend sitting through the 80 minute run time. The single location is used to great effect, and the savings on the budget make the rest of the film all the better for it. The acting is above par and if anything, is a little too on the nose, making the killer stand out like a sore thumb in my opinion.

The slow burn tension is well managed and when the action finally kicks off it is shocking and graphic, giving the payoff that you would want from this type of film.

In conclusion, there is no new ground to be broken here, but worth a watch if you are looking for a new take on an age old premise.

Daniel Few

The post MOTHERLY (2021) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

MOTHERLY will be released under Entertainment Squad’s genre label, The Horror Collective, on November 16th.

Log-line: A single mother is attacked by a vengeful couple who believe she’s responsible for their daughter’s murder.

Director Craig David Wallace commented about his inspiration: “I have always been fascinated by the terrible things people are capable of doing to others – but also the length to which people will go to protect and avenge their loved ones.”

“We were lucky to be shooting in the middle of nowhere in March 2020,” commented producer Avi Federgreen, “watching the world go into lockdown on the news ended up contributing to the feeling of isolation and hopelessness on screen.”

Shaked Berenson, Entertainment Squad’s CEO: “We are glad to continue our collaboration with Raven Banner Entertainment and bring their cutting edge genre films to American audience”

Motherly was written by Wallace and Ian Malone, who were nominated together for a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award for their work on Todd & The Book of Pure Evil.

Starring Lora Burke (Poor Agnes), Tessa Kozma (Hallmark’s A Christmas Carousel), Kristen MacCulloch (Psycho Goreman) and Nick Smyth (Video on Trial).

Produced by Avi Federgreen (Federgreen Entertainment), Laura Tremblay (Lucky Dime Films) and Raven Banner Entertainment, which will be selling international rights in the upcoming American Film Market.

ABOUT

Entertainment Squad is a film and TV distribution and aggregation company representing several labels, including The Horror Collective, Mr. Puppy Presents and Gefilte Films. Recent films include PAPER SPIDERS starring Lili Taylor, Stefanie LaVie Owens, and Peyton List, and the 2021 Daytime Emmy Nominated Limited Series DOOMSDAY.

Raven Banner Entertainment represents unique, innovative and cutting edge genre films for North American distribution and the international marketplace. Through its expertise in strategic project management, Raven Banner Entertainment can assist in any and all stages of project production. From acquisitions, representation, negotiations, strategic marketing plans, consultation, and sales, Raven Banner Entertainment is there in whatever capacity needed. We not only focus on the success of the films, but the success of the filmmakers as well.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

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