Per Matt
I’m always searching for the latest and greatest movies that present familiar themes in new and unique ways. And should I receive a free preview weekend of The Movie Channel, there’s a very good chance I’m spending way too much time skimming through the synopses of every film that’s available (as I did recently). It’s also a good time to fill up the DVR with quite a few hit-or-miss treasures. When Fear the Night popped up, I was initially intrigued by the title, but I was more interested in seeing what Maggie Q brought to the table of this action-horror-thriller extravaganza, which is written and directed by Neil LaBute.
And as a result, this feature film is My Guilty Pleasure.
Tess (played by Maggie Q) is an Iraq War veteran, as well as a recovering alcoholic. Returning home at the request of a childhood friend, she is joined by her sister, Beth (Kat Foster), as well as six other ladies for a bachelorette party at a remote farmhouse in the desert. Sounds good, so far. The sisters have an uneasy relationship and Tess isolates herself away from the party, focusing on something strange with the local caretakers.
The party really gets started after Tess pisses off some good ole boys in a small-town store, who later crash their party plans. As the storyline fully transitions to the home invasion genre, will the flakiest flake in Flake Town save the day? Only if she can overcome her personal demons…
“I’m like Mr. Miyagi, with tits.”
First of all, this is my official introduction to Maggie Q — but how can that be? In looking up her IMDb resume, I suppose I remember seeing her briefly in Live Free or Die Hard — for the most part, I’ve totally deleted all subsequent entries of that franchise from the overall Bruce Willis filmography in my personal memories. Looking back, it’s amazing how I strategically skipped seeing 40 out of her previous 41 big-screen appearances. In fact, I randomly knew more about her dating life than her professional history. That changes now.
Here, Tess’ former soldier teaches self-defense classes at a California elementary school. She’s obviously still going through some emotional things, both with the bottle and her sister. Taking a cue from Mr. Willis, the lovely ladies are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, where she must outsmart, as well as out-muscle, some local thugs, which is led by another former soldier.
The secondary characters (both good and bad) don’t exactly go out of their way to become likable — which helps as they’re slowly picked off. The storyline didn’t feel impossible, and the characters felt realistic (especially the sisterly hate among the two main characters). I’ve always been a fan of stories based in rural locations, which probably comes from growing up on a farm. Obviously, that plot device helps the criminals and hinders the main protagonist, offering yet another obstacle to overcome.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the open-ended conclusion of the film. And what, exactly, is the meaning of the movie’s title? I don’t remember any characters explicitly mentioning it. Kinda feels random, like a marketing exec came up with something catchy after the film was made and there’s no actual connection to anything seen on the screen. Bummer.
I enjoyed the nuance that Maggie Q brought to her character and strangely enough, I haven’t seen too many movies by Neil LaBute, either. I do remember watching The Wicker Man and Death at a Funeral and enjoying them both, and I’ve already heard good things about House of Darkness, as well. I guess my pending homework assignment is to get to know Maggie and Neil a little better. Very soon.
Fear the Night only received a brief run at movie theaters — so brief I only found its international box office numbers ($29,811), and nothing accumulated within the U.S. I’m assuming it’s mostly making money via its presence on premium network channels and streaming services. But don’t let these minor issues dissuade you from giving the film an opportunity. While I didn’t actual fear the night while watching it, I am happy to have made it My Guilty Pleasure.