A Brief Interview with Director and Actor Henrique Couto

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

A Brief Interview with Director and Actor Henrique Couto

If one is familiar at all with indie director and actor Henrique Couto, what will probably come to mind is colorful glasses, Dali-esque facial hair, loud clothes including Hawaiian shirts, and two incredibly beautiful, big dogs, Henwolf and Chicano. Oh, of course, then there are his films.

Hailing from the state of Ohio, one of the things I like about Henrique’s works is no matter what the topic or genre, they have heart. Also, he finds actors that fit his characters so well.

I sent him a list of questions, and he was gracious enough to answer back. Note that my queries are quite random, trying to get to know Henrique a bit better, as we have only previously “talked” a few times on Messenger.

* * *

Indie Horror Films: Let me start with a silly question: Is it pronounced Hen-REEK, or Hen-REE-kay?.|
Henrique Couto: You’re close on the first! My family has always went with a somewhat off-English pronunciation, so it’s Hen-RICK, but I have never corrected Hen-REEK as I see it being basically the same.

IHF: To begin in earnest with a simple query: what brought you to directing? Was it a particular film, or something you’ve wanted to do since, like, forever?
Henrique: Movies were my favorite thing in the world for as long as I can remember. The first thing I ever wanted, the first ever, was a TV set. The second thing I ever wanted was a video camera. The first film I ever saw that I think informed my imagination on the subject was the 1989 Batman, the scene where the Joker and his thugs ruin a museum full of art while moving and dancing to a Prince song. That was the first time I actively noticed that in film there is a rhythm to the presentation style, that made me grow more curious and then fascinated by the process.

                                                                                      

IHF: You’ve been making films since at least 2003, and acting in them since 2002? How do you direct yourself as an actor, that’s different from other actors that aren’t you?
Henrique: In 2003 I was 15 years old directing movies in my backyard, so it wasn’t exactly high art by any stretch, but it was where I began to learn the nuts and bolts of how to do what I do. It’s funny when you’re some kid with a camera throwing fake blood around your yard, you don’t realize you’re building a ton of skills that will pay off more later. When it comes to appearing in my own films, however, it’s a mixed bag. I usually give myself small roles, something I knock out in an hour so I can get back to concentrating only on directing. But in my romantic comedy Making Out (2016), I was actually a bit of a major character, which was challenging because I needed to remember my lines but also worry about all the other aspects of the scenes. I find acting comes pretty natural to me and I’ve watched myself back enough to kinda know when to reel it in a bit. When I did Devil’s Trail (2017), one of the main reasons I starred in it was because my co-star John Hambrick and I had great chemistry and we loved to improvise together. I had learned that just from directing him.

 

IHF: You are part of big collective of directors and actors in the Ohio area, such as Dustin Mills, John Oak Dalton, John Bradley Hambrick, Erin R. Ryan, Joni Durian, and Josh Miller, just to name a few. Many of them appear in multiple films you have directed. Why do you think that neck of the woods is so prolific in talent?
Henrique: I couldn’t tell you for sure. Ohio is, however, a pretty big place; a lot of the people you mentioned live 2-3 hours away, so we collaborate when we are able to make the drive. I think there are lots of talented people hiding most places and I’m just so honored to be able to showcase some of them in my work.

 

John Bradley Hambrick and Henrique Couto on Devil's Trail

IHF: Hambrick seems of be one of your muses. How did you two connect up? I kind of see him to you, as actor Brandon Salkil is to director Dustin Mills.
Henrique: John Hambrick has everything going for him in that he is talented, he is reliable, and I like him. I met John and formed our friendship from making movies and I always have a good time with him. I’ve also seen his ability as an actor grow so fast before my eyes, I’m really very proud of him.

 

Erin R. Ryan

IHF: I guess a similar question would be about Erin R. Ryan, whom you often share with Mills’ films.
Henrique: Erin and I met on an audition for Babysitter Massacre (2013) and I thought she had a great presence; after that film we went on a tear working together any chance we could. We just had fun and she was very reliable, so we kept it going.

 

IHF: You have also been a Cinematographer for other directors, such as Dalton (The Girl in the Crawlspace in 2018; Scarecrow County in 2019). How does it feel to work the camera under other directors?
Henrique: I love running the camera on those films. I also produced so I had some extra duties. Most of the Cinematography I’ve done has been for first time feature directors, so I sometimes find myself frustrated, but I always find myself enthralled in collaborating to bring their films to life. John Dalton is a dear friend and I often joke with him, “I wish my first film looked as good as yours!”

 

IHF: What is the appeal of acting to you. Do you ever want to help out the directors with advice?
Henrique: Acting is fun! It’s playing and pretending. It’s also a lot of intense work and heavy thought but also just a blast to do. So, I jump at any opportunity I get honestly. As far as helping directors with advice, I love to talk shop with directors and try to help them find their way whether we are working together or not.

 

IHF: While I first became aware of you with 2009’s anthology, The Faces of Shlock, you seemed to hit some level of stride and fame with Babysitter Massacre. What do you think changed, or did it feel like making any other film?
Henrique: Faces of Schlock was my first film to get national exposure, but Babysitter Massacre was something special. It was a love letter to the films I adored as a teenager, but it was also a desperate film: I was desperate to be successful, desperate to make a film that delivered. I was working part time, barely paying my bills, but I had this opportunity with Camp Motion Pictures to create this wild, bloody film, and I didn’t want to disappoint. I think that youthful energy fed into the film itself and made people connect with it on a deeper level.

 

IHF: That same year you came out with another popular film, the comedic A Bulldog for Christmas. Is doing a horror film a different headspace than a seasonal comedy, or do you approach all your films the same?
Henrique: Films are as different as they are the same. I’d say every horror film is as different from other horror movies as they are from comedies. I mean you may have less makeup effects or a smaller cast but overall, they all have unexpected challenges and you never truly know what you’ve gotten into ‘til you’re out there doing it.

 

IHF: Similarly, the following year, 2014, you came out with Haunted House on Sorority Row and Awkward Thanksgiving. I see a pattern here…
Henrique: Awkward Thanksgiving was basically all the ideas I had for Bulldog for Christmas that were NOT family friendly, haha. So, I made a holiday film that was raunchy and ridiculous and hilarious. Haunted House on Sorority Row is a good example of how different two horror films can be if you compare it to Babysitter Massacre. Both horror movies, similar cast, but so massively different in tone and style.

 

IHF: In 2015, you came out with a very “straight” western, Calamity Jane’s Revenge. I don’t know too many genre directors that have done westerns, so I wanted to know if and how it felt different to you, compared to comedies or horror.
Henrique: Making a western was fun; you just slap on the costumes and the guns and start running around making it. I remember getting the first shot of a cowboy with their gun up and their hat tilted, and I thought, “Whoa, this is a western!” I made some style choices that fed into my influences from spaghetti westerns, but the movie found its own groove as we went.

 

IHF: In 2017, you did a found footage style release, Devil’s Trail. How was the FF experience, compared to blocking and shooting a film?
Henrique: Devil’s Trail was my third found footage film. What I love about making a found footage project is how it is captured and what types of cameras you are using is part of the story itself. You tell a story as much with why people are filming each other as you do with who they are. In many ways you can film scenes incredibly fast, but in other ways you don’t have as much control and you have to think your shots and choices out very deeply. You may do scenes in a found footage movie where you don’t cut for more than a minute or longer, as to where on a narrative feature you wouldn’t go longer than 20 seconds.

 

IHF: Lately, it seems you have really been getting into podcasts, having three running at once (Spooky Stories, Boggy Creek: The Bigfoot Series, Popcorn Fodder). How are they different from each other? Do you like podcasting as much as filmmaking?
Henrique: Boggy Creek: The Series is a TV series produced by Fred Olen Ray and directed by me, available on Prime Video. Popcorn Fodder is also a TV series available on various outlets that I host. I have two podcasts: Weekly Spooky, which is a new short story audiobook every week, and This Show is Awkward, which is a talk show featuring myself and musician/comic artist Michelle Antisocial. Podcasting is very fun and allows a lot of engagement with your audience.

 

IHF: Do you like podcasting as much as filmmaking?
Henrique: Comparing it to filmmaking wouldn’t be fair. Podcasts are a long term commitment, but you maybe only put an hour or two in a week, as to where films you work all at once, get it done, then move on. I enjoy podcasting and find it relaxing because the pressure is a lot lower, but filmmaking is a deep passion for me.

 

Henwolf and Chicano

IHF: Love your dogs, by the way. Very cute. Thank you so much for your time. It was a pleasure getting to ask you these questions, and I look forward to seeing your upcoming films.
Henrique: My pleasure, thank you for the chat! 

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Between this article being written and its publication, Couto’s Christmas-themed horror short, Christmas Presence (can be seen for free HERE; film reviewed by me HERE), won the New York PBS Thirteen “Reel 13 Shorts” contest on January 13, 2021. It received over 300 more votes than its nearest competitor. Congrats, Henrique! 

Two Different Horror Shorts Based on the Same Idea

Text by Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from YouTube

Both these fun, comedic films, which were made independent of each other, have the same premise: a strong, young woman is trying to sleep, calmly placating a demon or creature under her bed with humorous undertones. Both films are linked below.

In Bed Demon, which was released in 2013, is 4:32 minutes in length, and is directed by Henrique Couto, and stars Erin R. Ryan as the bed denizen and the director voicing the mysterious creature, Bedemon.

For Under the Bed, the best I can tell is when it was uploaded to YouTube in 2018, and it is 4:37 minutes. Although there are about two dozen films with the same name on IMDB, this one is not listed. It was directed by Ben Greco, and stars Natalie Trainor. There is no credit for the demon's voice, but I am just going to assume it's also the director.

Another thing both films have in come is toothbrushing. Now that's horrifying...

Review: Amityville: No Escape

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019

Images from the Internet

Amityville: No Escape

Directed by Henrique Couto

New Dynamic / Camp Motion Pictures

80 minutes, 2016

www.facebook.com/AmityvilleNoEscape/

Waynesville, OH, where this was shot, is a far cry from the Long Island-based Amityville, NY (approximately 666 miles away, actually), where the original Amityville novel and film took place. I’ve been through Amityville any number of times, usually along the Sunrise Highway or Merrick Avenue (Route 27A), and it’s remarkably suburban. Its parks are completely manicured and filled with baseball diamonds. Quite boring, actually.

The Amityville of this story, however, is on the edge of a deep, dark woods, opening up the possibility of a found footage wonderland filled with mystery, spirits and evil. This concept is way more fun than its reality, even though as with most found footage this is supposedly “based on the real tapes,” so let’s stick with this one, whatcha say?

Josh Miller and Joni Durian

Actually, the mild contrast of the reality of the Atlantic oceanside community with close neighbors and the fictional woods-based town is quite amusing, as there are wild animals and people with shotguns walking around in the No Escape version.

But there are also added juxtapositions within the story itself that enhance the mood and breaks up the walking-in-the-woods-by-camera-light syndrome. The timeframe is split into two groups. The first is of a woman, Lina (Julia Gomez) who moves into the house, and is preparing to send a VHS diary to her husband who is overseas in the military. She starts off perky, and as events occur that are straight out of Poltergeist (1982) and the Paranormal franchise, she gets affected by the strange goings on. If you can get past her annoying constant verbal “ummm” type ticks, her scenes are pretty effective.

Michael William Ralston and Alia Gabrielle Eckhardt

The other segment take place in the “now” (2016) as a group of friends decide to do a project to record themselves to see what “scares” them. And where better than Amityville; though a meta comment by a one character is essentially the confusion of why go there when there are haunted houses where they are. The core of the group is George (Josh Miller), who has “daddy issues,” his lovely and adoring girlfriend Sarah (Joni Durian), his snarky sister Elizabeth (Allison Egan), their vegan New Age pal Lisa (Alia Gabrielle Eckhardt, who also did the make-up FX), and the bearded pervy camera guy, Simon (Michael William Ralston).

Another flip is that the Lina sections are nearly all inside the house (with an occasional bit in the backyard), and the group is almost always in the woods except for a The Blair Witch Project (1999) moment indoors the supposed house. This is all very clever writing to not only break up the way the found footage is presented, but to be both claustrophobic and yet… not.

Allison Egan (right)

Is the film scary? Well, I think creepy is a better way of putting it. A spooky child that tends to appear and disappear is a nice way of playing with that, though I would have liked some kind of back story about her (i.e., I don’t remember her from the original Amityville story, though I do remember the pig face in the window).

There is no gore, but a nice amount of blood, and a surprising quantity of female nudity. I’m not complaining, mind you. One of the good things is that most of the effects are practical and make-up based.

The acting is well done, and a lot comes across as natural, even if a character is annoying, which is a bonus. For example, Miller’s “George” is often a demanding dick, which is polar opposite of the pathetic schlub he played so well in Couto’s 2016 comedy Nothing Good Ever Happens. Same with Durian, who is super-hyper in Couto’s 2019 Ouija Room, but here is more subtle and subdued (mostly). Even Gomez, with her “umm” tic, shows a range well, going from giddiness to abject fear.

Much of the cast is part of a collective in the Dayton area that shows up often in both Couto films and that of Dustin Mills, though some of the obvious usual actors seem to be missing here (who were probably busy with Mills). But that’s okay, since everyone did well.

Julia Gomez

While I won’t give away the ending (never do), there is an interesting twist that’s a bit of a head scratcher and a conversation starter for the viewer(s) that I respect.

Getting back to the use of the found footage trope, what I liked about this film more than most others in the sub-genre is that while people may be walking in the woods with camera lights (how do they keep their batteries charged?), there is little running through the dark, which I find really annoying. Walking isn’t as bad on the eyes and stomach.

The copy of this film I reviewed was an online screener, but it is now available in Blu-ray.

Despite being very prolific and genre-jumping, Couto has once again shown that he knows his way around a film, and I look forward to seeing more of his output. And check out his numerous podcasts, which can be found linked on his Facebook page.

Review: Scarecrow County

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019

Images from the Internet

Scarecrow County

Directed by John Oak Dalton

Midwest Film Venture

75 minutes, 2019

www.facebook.com/Midwest-Film-Venture-622094804959383/  

I firmly believe that one day, when we are looking back at John Oak Dalton’s film career at a retrospective, people will comment that either his early films were better, or this was just the start of his career and he’s grown so much. Directors like David Cronenberg and George A. Romero go through this all the time. No, I’m not comparing this film to theirs, but the philosophy is the same.

Andrew Britt

Oaks started off strong with directing his first feature, The Girl in the Crawlspace (2018). I also believe, in part, that this strength comes from three places: the first is that he has written a number of scripts before and has had the chance to initially grow in that way; second, he has been involved with the filmmaking process for a while with various directors so he’s had the opportunity to learn the craft; and third, he is under the mentorship of his producer, Henrique Couto, who has been making films in the Midwest for at least a decade (much as Gene Wilder did with Mel Brooks). This release was mostly shot in and around Farmland, Indiana, though filming was done as far as Dayton, Ohio.

It’s easy to tell that Dalton’s strength, at this early part of his directorial career, is in the screenwriting more than the helming of it, but that will take some time and practice to catch up the two together. What I particularly like about the script is that the characters are more fully developed than most indie films, the dialog doesn’t talk down to the audience, and the plot is both simple and nuanced at the same time.

Small town librarian Winnie (Chelsi Kern, coincidentally a perfect last name for a character dealing with text, may I add) gets ahold of a diary of a gay teen who had died, which of course leads to a series of events related to that occurrence. Meanwhile, there is the mysterious titular scarecrow that is going around killing people. While you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know these events are related, it’s how it all works out that is the focus of the film.

Tom Cherry, Chelsi Kern, Rachel Redolfi

Scarecrows are certainly not new to the horror audience, but Dalton has taken a common trope and played with it enough to make it interesting with the story’s own psychological drama.

The film is populated by a large and complex cast, including Winnie’s schizophrenic and agoraphobic cartoonist sister Zoe (Rachael Redolfi) whose drawings speak to her (using the very identifiable voice of Erin R. Ryan), Zoe’s promoter with the multicolored hair (Manic Panic?) Marlys (Erin Hoodlebrink), the pent-up angry Prentiss (John Hambrick) who has recently returned to town after a two-year service in Afghanistan, and lots of the character’s dads and friends (few moms involved that are living, apparently, despite the female-heavy cast).

Erin Hoodlebrink

Being an independent film director, Dalton wisely uses his budget in many ways, such as going to where the particular actor is rather than bringing them necessarily together in a room, and much of the interactive dialog is done over the phone: Zoe talks to Marlys and Winnie often using the device; most of the dads connect that way, including one to his girlfriend / sponsor (up-and-comer Joni Durian who stars in Couto’s latest, Ouija Room). 

Another way he wisely saves some money on the production is holding off on prosthetics and digital SFX. In other words, as this film is strongly story-oriented, all of the killings are done off-screen. I commend this, even as I like some blood in my meat, but again, if the story holds up as this one does, it becomes almost unnecessary (even if noticeable).

That being said, the scarecrow looks kind of cool. It’s mostly in the background, and often when a kill is about to happen, it and the area around it are filled with blue smoke and lights. It telegraphs what is going to happen, but honestly, it’s pretty obvious, even with a few good jump scares.

If there is anything I would to complain about, it’s the cheesy and stereotypical electronic music. Just does not work for me, as it was a bit of a distraction from what’s on the screen.

Much of the cast of The Girl in the Crawlspace has returned for this new release. The acting is mostly decent, especially among the female leads and the occasional male ones, but most of the wooden portrayals are from those with the Y chromosomes. Again, this is still in Dayton’s early stages. Have you seen some of the performances in early Cronenberg’s work? Makes this look like Best in Show in comparison.

Henrique Couto and John Oak Dalton

What compels this film especially to be worth watching – beyond the editing, which is quite good – is the writing. Sure, there are some really cool nuggets, such as the mention of the band the Dead Milkmen (saw them play at Maxwell’s, in Hoboken, NJ, opening for Salem 66; but I digress…), and even some dark humor thrown in here and there.

For a second feature, it’s pretty obvious that Dayton can have a solid future in both writing and directing. Let’s support that, and check out his films as I’m sure they are bound to be floating around the festival circuit. I know The Girl in the Crawlspace is about to get a wide circulation on various media, and it probably won’t be long before this one will, as well.

Review: Ouija Room

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019

Images from the Internet

Ouija Room (aka Haunting Inside)

Directed by Henrique Couto

New Dynamic Pictures

78 minutes, 2019

www.facebook.com/hauntinginside/

www.henflix.com

The indie filming scene around Dayton, Ohio, is not to be ignored. There is a core of directors and actors that overlap into a powerful and quite interesting clique of artists, such as Henrique Couto and Erin R. Ryan, among others.

For this release, director Couto has assembled some of his regulars and also new talent to release a demonic tale involving a Ouija board and the requisite evil spirits.

Joni Durian

The center of the film is troubled Sylvia (lovely Joni Durian), who has several mental ailing, such as ADHD, agoraphobia (fear of leaving the house), OCD and seems to be somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Durian does a strong job playing a wide range of emotions right from the first scene, which is off-putting until the viewer realizes pretty quickly that she’s not just quirky, but rather disturbed.

Her guardianship is in the hands of her brother Sammy (Couto’s go-to actor John Hambrick), who obviously cares for her, but is on the brink. He buys board games that she likes to play solo and watches whatever Sylvia wants to see on television (but no indication of a computer or cell phone for her). He also does his best to stop her from self-destructive behavior and tries to help her focus on a task. He’s getting to the point of burning out and drinking too much. Sammy’s girlfriend is Rebecca (Ryan), who often comes to visit and is a seemingly calming influence and supportive of Sammy’s taking care of Sylvia.

Among the stack of games Sammy misguidedly brings home from a comic store, of course, is said Ouija board. If there’s a Ouija and it’s on-screen, you know trouble and malevolent forces are not far behind; especially when the dissonant note music starts on the soundtrack when the board is introduced. Just so you know, I am not giving anything away here, this is the basic set-up to the action in the first few minutes of the film.

John Hambrick

Sylvia is obsessed with two things: games of any sort and a desire to make friends (she feels like those she watches on television are “friends” in the same way we believe that people we don’t really know or have met on social media are “friends”). And it is these two things that Sylvia’s trio of spirits of the Ouija board manipulate for their own purposes.

The title of the film is a bit of a double entendre because Sylvia is house bound by her OCD fears of going outside since her parents died, and the much-desired friends/spirits are also within the domicile. The second meaning for quite a while is that the trio may actually be inside her mind as well. For example, the board’s planchette moves in extremely fast circles, but she is still able to “read” it (without the audience having to watch everything tediously spelled out). This is a nice touch that enhances the complexity of the story, and of Sylvia’s mind; she’s not stupid, just troubled with mental illness.

It’s understandable that Sylvia is attracted to these spirits: they appear caring, tell her truthful dark secrets about others in a blunt manner, and keep reminding her that they are all in the middle of playing “a game.” The purpose of said game is the question the audience will be asking, though it comes across as obvious very soon (hey, it’s a relatively short – but perfect length – film).

Couto seems to do well avoiding clichés, but he does have his tropes. As in many of his films, one of the main characters is a struggling writer. Perhaps this is Couto’s own real-life haunting inside (note that this film was written by Dan Wilder, but certainly Couto had some influences on the story).

Dorian’s acting style can be quite jarring here, as she shows the audience Sylvia’s brain trying to process the information of what is happening around her. It took a couple of minutes to get into the vibe of it until her situation is understood, so it works well. Her moments of lucidity under the guidance of the spirits becomes the oddity, which works really well. Most of the rest of the cast is pretty good in their performances; the spirits can be a bit over the top in the acting department here and there, but in the long run it all works together.

Erin R. Ryan

These spirits, wisely, are very different from not only the principal characters, but among themselves. Also, they are different from most other demons (I’m assuming) you would expect from this sub-genre. They are a little girl obviously played by an adult (Alia Gabrielle Eckhardt), a wise-acre wiseguy gambler in a sharp suit who also helps Sylvia with recipes in the kitchen (Joe Kidd), and a punk rocker who wears her hair in a distracting Misfits’ front rattail style (Rachael Redolfi). As I said, Couto does not usually dwell in the house of cliché.

While most of the cast is attractive, there is no nudity or sex, a low body count per se, and little bloody visceral material, but the story easily holds the attention of the viewer anyway as this really is character based more than SFX. That being said, there are some beautifully shot sequences that are effectively unnerving, such as Sammy’s recurring dreams about Sylvia’s future.

If you’re looking for knives and gore, there are other Couto films to check out, such as Babysitter Massacre (2013), but this is, as I said, story- and character-based, and I say it’s all the better for it.

Review: The Girl in the Crawlspace

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2018

Images from the Internet unless indicated

The Girl in the Crawlspace

Written and directed by John Oak Dalton

New Dynamic Pictures

76 minutes, 2018

www.facebook.com/thegirlinthecrawlspace/

One of my favorite aspects of centralized indie cinema is how a local scene forms and then spirals into growth for everyone, much like a music locale. In the Indiana area where this film takes place, there is a group of filmmakers whose work strongly overlaps. On the director side there is Henrique Couto (who produced this and was Director of Photography) and Dustin Mills (who, as far as I know, has nothing directly to do with this one); as for John Oak Dalton, he’s written a few of the films directed those I’ve just mentioned, and this is his own directorial debut. There is also an acting pool that tends to overlap as well, especially the centerpiece of The Girl in the Crawlspace [TGitC], Erin R. Ryan, whose fan base is growing.

John Hambrick, Erin R. Ryan, Joni Durian

When we approach the story for TGitC, the horrific events of Jill (Ryan) are in the past, and she has escaped from the Crawlspace Killer after 7 years of captivity. Now, to paraphrase the Dusty Springfield song, “She just don’t know what to do with herself” thanks to a heavy and understandable dose of PTSD This is the spine of the story, but actually, Jill isn’t even the central character.

More than a “horror film,” this is an intense, tight psychological drama focusing more on Kristin/Kitty (Joni Durian), a psychologist who had moved from this same small town to Hollywood, and has now come back after inheriting the family home. She has set up a therapy practice based on the families of the serial killer’s victims, who were mostly young boys and Jill.

Kristin has brought along the other main focus of the film, her husband Johnny (John Hambrick, who co-starred in Couto’s 2017 Devil’s Trail) who has quite the history on his own: he’s a semi-successful screenwriter with writer’s block since he’s joined Narcotics Anonymous, and is not exactly what one would call a reliable partner. Okay, he’s a douche nozzle that either can’t or won’t grasp what is socially acceptable living in a small town.

The last major character is the Sheriff, Woody (Tom Cherry, who also was Casting Director). He’s a bit slow and a good-hearted, and actually quite likeable. He’s also the guy who killed the Crawlspace Killer, so Kristin worries about his First Responder PTSD.

This is a sharply written and directed first feature, and it bodes well for possibilities of the shapes of things to come. Dalton plays with the experience for the viewer, keeping the viewer off balance with red herrings and working the psycho-trauma tropes that we fans are so used to, and adding something new all the time. At least four times I thought I figured out the ending, and three times I was wrong, but my errors were also addressed within the storyline. How cool.

There is also a bit of social commentary that doesn’t hit you over the head with self-righteousness, but rather keeps it in the public eye. For example, there is a slight focus on the fragility of Mexican migrant workers and how they can easily be exploited, as they have been; it’s ironic talking about taking kids from families and then the government starts to do it to reinforce the notion.

Working with an experienced filmmaker like Couto also brings out some really nice moments, such as Kristin and Johnny arguing in near yellow silhouette in a living room, in front of lamps and a curtained window as the camera rolls back and forth between them. There are little gem moments like that throughout.

The weak point to me in the film’s story is the fluidity of lack of patient/doctor (psychologist) confidentiality. For example, Kristen is too willing to share her own narrative with her patients, even if she grew up with them in her life; you talk about it in social gatherings, not during paying sessions, which is a serious breach of trust. She also talks way too much to Johnny about Jill, especially considering the couple’s relationship. I work in a not-for-profit, and I would never discuss my clients with anyone other than getting advice from my boss – and that’s without p/d legalities. However, in cinematic poetic license, I understand talking to someone onscreen is the equivalent to telling the audience what a character is thinking.

One of my favorite aspects of this film is that it delves into the Tarantino-esque trivia knowledge of a film fan (not just horror, though there is especially that), with different characters spouting actor’s roles in specific films. Note that if you are not one of these encyclopaedia-level nerds (like me), this aspect is not overwhelming and doesn’t take a single thing away from the story or events, but if you are… well, for me, my find was racing to answer my own list. The moments of RPG (role playing games) is similar in that while it’s somewhat key to the story, it actually does not matter if you’ve ever played one (I have no interest), it’s just a cool shade to the film.

Another commentary I want to discuss is a group rant about Hollywood’s somewhat “sucking at the dry teat” of horror sequels. Yes, that’s a direct quote from the film, and I agree wholeheartedly.

Ryan, photographed by Henrique Couto

The last thing I want to bring up is how much I was impressed by Ryan’s performance. I’ve seen her in a few indies now (and as usual, dressed in red), and I do believe this is one of the more nuanced acting I’ve seen from her, and I want to acknowledge that. Though not the not the main focus of the film, as I said, she’s its shadow, coming in at moments to change the direction of the story.

I love it when a film surprises me in its subtly among the mind games. There is no gore and very little blood, an implied body count, a generally attractive cast, and an ending that is quite satisfying.

Review: Devil’s Trail

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2018

Images from the Internet

Devil’s Trail

Directed by Henrique Couto

New Dynamic Pictures

73 minutes, 2017

The New Jersey Devil is rumored to be in the wild nature preserve called the Pine Barrens, which occupy the lower southeast third of the state. You never heard of the creature? Where did you think the name of the hockey team came from? Nearly every state has its own version of the Yeti, or Loch Ness Monster. In Joisey, it’s da “devil.” You can find out more about it on Wikipedia, but I digress…

For our story here, we meet Dallas (John Bradley Hambrick) and Hank (director Henrique Couto), who are filming themselves for a survivalist show, where people live in the wild for 21 days with only three items. Even though it’s October, no one thinks of gloves (which is actually addressed in the story), but again I digress… The spot they choose, of course, is the rough and tumble Pine Barrens.

As they stumble around, increasingly getting on each other’s nerves (as familiar companions do), they try their best to find food and water, goad each other, and run into some nude witches. Oh, didn’t see that coming? First day out (and very early into the film), they find themselves in the company of some “Wiccans” (as our intrepid wannabe heroes call them; the women sort of shrug the term off) in the middle of a ceremony. Other than the nudity, they do serve a few purposes to the story, including filling in the role of the “locals who warn.” Rather than the old guy or the gas station attendant who says, “Turn back before it’s too late!!!” these women (Joni Durian, Rachel Redolfi and Erin R. Ryan) take the role on with their robe off.

Hambrick and Couto, with the Jersey Devil's Triangle

As the guys wander over the river and through the woods to eke out some kind of reality star existence, there are the red eyes and screaming in the woods at night that only one of them sees (along with us).  The other meets this with skepticism; is he playing some kind of joke on the other? Well, the title cards at the beginning and night vision camera sensors tell the audience that there is something else afoot.

Yeah, this is a found footage [ff] release, and if you’ve anywhere familiar with my reviews, you’ll know it’s not one of my fave subgenres. But before you think, “okay, he’s going to tear this release a new one,” it’s actually quite good. I’ve had a discussion with Couto about ff, and we generally agree on why it’s a pain in the ass, and he does quite well to avoid many of the pitfalls. For example, rather than just having a camera with batteries that are never exhausted, as most of them do, Hank explains that he has 21 days’ worth of batteries in his backpack. And while there is some running around in the wood in the dark, rather than the light from the camera, they actually have some decent flashlights.

Night visitation

What’s also nice is that they both have tripods which they use as selfie-sticks held to their waists. We get to see the flip back and forth between both cameras, and it’s easy to tell which we are watching because one has more of a blue filter, and one is skewed towards a yellowish green.

The cast and crew is part of an Ohio group of filmmakers centered around Dayton that often work together (e.g., Ryan is in many of Couto’s releases), so they have a way of playing off each other that is an advantage to the audience, not to mention they all have some skill in improvisation that gives more of the feeling of spontaneity than just sounding stupid and uncomfortable with dialog, as do many freewheeling ff films.

Couto quite dressed down for this role

As with most ff, there is a lot more footage presented between the red eyes and people appearing out of nowhere, but they fill that gap with giving tips about surviving in the wilderness, which is actually more interesting than sheer nonsense time filler. You get more of a feeling of being with them, rather than spying on them. This is something so many ff releases lack. Usually, by the time something happens, I’m bored, but here, the interest is kept present by the two protagonists.

Through all the squabbling and breakdown into insanity over time, stick with it, because the ending actually took me by surprise – in a good way.

What I like about Couto as a filmmaker is that he is solid meat and potatoes. He doesn’t go in for the Fancy Feast, he goes for the Purina, meaning he tends to strip the story down to the bare bones and gives us something to gnaw on. Be it a western, a love story or horror, whatever the genre, he sticks to the essentials, and the film is the better for it (and having the talented Ryan in most of them doesn’t hurt).

Couto has been doing more acting lately, including in other director’s works, and the practice carries over into his own films, as he is one of the two leads here. Both him and Hambrick hold the story and present a solid package. Yeah, the genre still annoys me, but it’s great to see someone actually using it well.