98.6% (Short)
Cindy Maples has a healthy appreciation for the horror genre, and God bless her for it. The films of hers that delve into it do so by taking it seriously, and honestly, even if the film sometimes masks the terror that might happen. Her latest, “98.6%,” is a horror film, but it starts out sweetly as a couple return to the woman’s apartment after a date.
The woman, Mehlika (played by Maples), has enjoyed the company of Bradley (played by Maples’s husband, Rusty James). They both seem pleasant enough, and the date goes well. Mehlika invites Bradley up for a drink, but, ever the gentleman, Bradley refuses, saying that can be something to look forward to next time. They go their separate ways, but it will not be the last time they talk this evening.
The script is by Randy Murray, but the feel, and story, being told here is very much in keeping with Maples’s previous films as a director. There may not be an particular color scheme like in “Random,” “Out of My Mind” or “E-Bowla,” but the film’s look feels very specific in how the exteriors are shot, and how Mehlika’s apartment is dressed up. Like her 2-minute short, “Moving In,” the production design is part of what signals to us what to expect as the film builds to its conclusion. Whether we care about what happens, though, is dependent on the characters, and Maples and James do a very good job of making us feel that connection. We want to see how this plays out, and we are left more than satisfied with how it does.
