Never Open the Door is the new horror film from Maltauro Entertainment in association with Baumant Entertainment. The flick hit Amazon Prime, Google Play and Blu-ray/DVD release on December 6th.
Writer-director Vito Trabucco (Bloody Bloody Bible Camp) and writer-producer Christopher Maltauro have created a fun throwback to classic horror staples, and at 64 minutes long, Never Open the Door is the perfect length for those craving a trip back in time to the glory days of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Never Open the Door begins with six friends enjoying a holiday dinner at a remote house in the woods. A knock on the door interrupts the merry-making and a mysterious stranger puts a damper on the evening by dying in the foyer. From there the film launches into a pedal-top-the-metal mind-fuck, chock-full of hallucinations and identity crisis as the three couples attempt to figure out what in the hell is going on. The group develops some serious trust issues as the tension builds, and ultimately we, the audience, are treated to a delicious twist ending that could have just as easily been found in an old issue of Weird Tales.
I had a blast watching this movie! All of the elements fit together nicely, and the end product is an hour of nostalgic fun for horror fans. First off, the black and white footage is a nice throwback and it pairs nicely with the soundtrack, creating an homage to classic horror. The overlapping dialogue (especially during the opening dinner scene) is fantastic, and reminded me of the Howard Hawks staple The Thing from Another World.
All of the actors delivered solid performances. Mike Wood and Deborah Venegas play Luke and Maria, the classic couple comprised of an annoying yuppie with the too-hot-for-him exotic wife. Matt Aidan and Kristen Page play Isaac and Angel, and both offer up great performances, not to mention a mean right cross. George Troester as Terrance takes a break from his usual day gig in special effects and plays an integral part in every horror staple–the horny, douche-y single guy that we kind of love, but kind of also hope gets his throat cut. The cast is rounded out by Jessica Sonneborn as Tess, the real lynchpin in the group’s chaotic evening. This is the second film I’ve reviewed in the last week starring Sonneborn (see my review of One Night of Fear), and I’d like to call my shot right here: she’ll soon find a permanent place among the ranks of the genre’s iconic Scream Queens.
If you’re a fan of claustrophobic and tense horror classics like The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, you’re going to thoroughly enjoy Never Open the Door. Do yourself a favor and take a break from the modern gore-fests. Get back to the roots of weird horror, grab some Jiffy-pop, and whatever you do…NEVER. OPEN. THE. DOOR.
