Gut
Where was this startling, psychological horror film when I was doing my annual “Month of the Macabre” this year? Oh yeah, it was in my Inbox waiting for me to get off my ass and watch it. Note to self: If you get a request to watch, and review, a movie called “Gut” before October, for the love of God, watch it in October.
Independent cinema is saving the horror genre. Rather than sticking with the conventions the studios live by, indie filmmakers are shaking them up, and twisting them into sometimes-perverse riffs on the same-old story. However, more often than not, there are filmmakers pushing through more audacious, original films, where you truly have no idea what’s going to happen. That’s the category “Gut” belongs in.
The film focuses in on Tom, a husband and father who feels like something is missing from his life. His family doesn’t excite him as much as they used to, and his job is a dead-end, made bearable only by his friend, Dan. While Tom has adapted to a family life, watching Pixar films and spending time with his wife and daughter, Dan continues to indulge in the same splatteriffic horror films they watched when they were younger. One day, Dan invites Tom to watch something he got over the internet. It’s the image of a woman being gutted while strapped on a table. Dan can’t get enough, while Tom has had his fill after one viewing, and ends up having nightmares about what he saw. Was it really just a horror film, or was it real?
Writer-director Elias has learned well the ways of psycho-horror, and is plenty capable of putting his characters through the wringer, while also springing surprises of narrative and character that make his film essential viewing for any horror buff. I’m trying to avoid calling his film gut-wrenching, but the truth is, it’s the best way to describe this superb, and stomach-churning, movie.
