The Wanted (produced by A Dream Awake Film) tells the tale of a young college co-ed who is in the need of some extra cash. Sounds pretty good, right!? Well…don’t get too excited. Our main girl, Marissa, ends up landing a babysitting job for a middle aged couple she has never met before. After being dropped off at the couples house by her pouty boyfriend, she and her new employers engage in a little chit chat before they head out for the night. Not long after Marissa settles in and begins her homework, eerie happenings begin to rattle her nerves.
This micro budget of a film was written and directed by Joshua Weixelman. Although the characters are well developed, the film does suffer due to the occasional subpar acting. Line delivery seems a bit forced, but using amateur actors is just another aspect of working in independent film. The acting really is no better or no worse than most of the horror movies to come out of the 70’s and 80’s. The look of the film itself will make or break the movie for you. The footage is a bit overexposed as the sky and windows and blown out white and the interior lighting is a bit flat. It gives the intentional look of a VHS tape that has been viewed one too many times. Once again, certain genre fans will love it…others might not be so pleased.
But, with a fairly low production budget, it is obvious Weixelman is a fan of the genre and did what he could to make this film ba all that it could be. With a modest running time of just 60 minutes, the far from superior resolution is easy to bear and we are actually presented with a VHS feel to the picture. Whether this is intended or not, I actually enjoyed the grain and this brought me back to the good old VHS days of our past.
If you are in the need of some independent horror and you have a free hour, pop in The Wanted. Keep an open mind and with a few laughs here and there, you may find that rare indy horror gem you have wanted!
The film can be purchased through RHR Home Video or contact the director Joshua Weixelman on Facebook.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWv0vuMrC1c