DOOM ROOM *** USA 2019 Dir: Jon Keeyes 92 mins
A woman awakes trapped in a gloomy cell type room with no memory of who she is. Unable to escape the confines she is visited by a number of strange beings. Some terrified of something or someone and others out to abuse her or cause her harm, plus one man that seems to be trying to contact her from another place. She must try and decipher these images and who or what they represent if she is to figure out what has happened to her.
As confusing as this is to start with it has a harrowing tale at its heart which, as it develops gets a bit graphic but never gratuitous. Some of it is a little cringey but the rape scene is fairly tame and only briefly shown but that does not mean it is short on nudity or kinky costumes. The acting is a bit hard to deal with at first but with the introduction of Debbie Rochon and James Simmons into the mix it soon picks up a bit. Johanna Stanton as our Jane Doe is rather bland at first but you do end up warming to her. Rochon as the evil wife is gloriously harsh and sinister and looking rather fabulous in her nipple revealing outfit. Simmons plays a foul mouthed man of God who pops up throughout the movie to chastise Stanton. The let downs in this for me were the characters of Innocence and the girl with no eyes who were both awkward and incredibly annoying. The girl with no eyes constantly babbling on about the fact that she can’t see what is going on. (Yes love we get the metaphor here let’s not keep repeating ourself!). The dialogue was too simple and for greater effect the script could’ve done with a bit of an overhaul. It could also have been cut down in its runtime a bit as the first 40 mins are quite slow. The effects are practical and are totally acceptable. Originally known as NIGHTMARE BOX and released in 2013 this isn’t exactly brand new and it does look a little dated compared to others released this year, but apart from the name I don’t believe they have changed anything else from the original release. Inspired by true stories of women kidnapped and enslaved over a number of years this covers the victims ordeal through the use of riddles and metaphor to uncover the true horror of this topic. It is cleverly done and despite it’s slow and confused start it is quite thought provoking. It has its flaws but it is definitely worth a watch.
Review by Sarah Budd