Room 203 – Movie Review
104 Minutes, Not Rated
Written by Nick Richey and Ben Jagger
Directed by Ben Jagger
Synopsis:
After lifelong friends Kim and Izzy move into Room 203, a quirky apartment with a creepy medieval stained glass window, Kim slowly becomes convinced that their new home may be haunted. With help from her new boyfriend Ian, Kim investigates the tortured history of the apartment, discovering a string of disappearances of former residents, a murder mystery from half a century ago, and an ancient curse that threatens to possess Izzy and kill Kim.
Well, this is a pleasant change: a low-budget horror/thriller that actually manages to be both horrific and thrilling.
The horror, such as it is, is embodied not in the creepy stained-glass window (though that is an important aspect of what is happening, obviously), but rather in the small hole in the wall in the bedroom that is incapable of being repaired.
Like a tiny mouth, the hole slowly breathes it’s evil into the occupants of the apartment and resulting in disaster.
Our young roommates plays their roles very well, managing to embody both the innocence of their age and the damage both have endured to get to where they find themselves as the film opens.
The awkward romantic interest is convincing, as well, neither overwhelming the story or characters, but instead staying firmly in its lane, narratively speaking.
Writers Nick Richey and Ben Jagger drop enough bread-crumbs to keep the audience invested, but not so many as to ruin the eventual conclusion. I would have, perhaps, liked a deeper exploration into the Celtic lore which forms the basis of the plot, but the lack of such depth certainly didn’t ruin the viewing experience by any stretch of the imagination.
Visually, the film’s appearance belies it’s indie roots, as it doesn’t feel “cheap” or “shallow” in terms of how we experience this apartment with the characters (with the exception of the “wall” in the bedroom containing the hole… you’ll understand when you watch it.).
Overall, Room 203 is a highly enjoyable, effective horror/thriller that I don’t hesitate to recommend to fans of the genre.
Room 203 is now available digitally (including iTunes, Prime Video, DirecTV, Cox, Time Warner, Dish, Vudu, and Google Play) and in limited theaters, and stars Francesca Xuereb, Viktoria Vinyarska, and Eric Wiegand.
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