The Woman Under the Stage

The Woman Under the Stage is a psychological drama that pulls you further in as the story unfolds. I genuinely got more interested as it progressed.

What didn't work for me were the horror sequences. There is a proper setup into these nightmares with a cup, but something about the escalation and the environment lost me. These sequences look fantastic and they do ramp up in intensity with some great visuals. But, I found a hook missing or something to land that connection.

What does work is the drama. There are truly incredible performances, especially by the leads Jessica Willis and Matthew Tompkins. And a tender scene between Willis and Ashley Spicer clutches on miscommunication that lands the kind of dramatic comedy I eat up.

Next to the performances and overall horror in show business theme, its greatest strength is the cinematography. This movie looks unbelievable for it's small budget. This is about a play and it's lit and shot with all the drama you could envision.

This is one of the best films to come out of the North Texas film scene in recent years.

Haunting deep dark scary and sad. Saw it at a festival where it received many accolades and then made sure to watch it again on Amazon. All the actors do a wonderful job together especially Jessica Dawn Willis and Phil Harrison who received much deserved awards for their work in the movie. It really is so nice to see what a passionate group of people can accomplish on a low budget with a strong mindset and an overall will to see it through. Check out The Woman Under the Stage for an engaging story with big scares and good drama and support a young group of people who are bringing powerful stories to life.

This movie is a dark and moody study on the struggles and sacrifices that struggling artists make to create. Whether it is theatre, art, literature or music.

A young actress lands a part in an obscure play and she is plunged into a heart of darkness that ends up creating a nightmare world.

This is a beautifully filmed movie with a great musical score that helps set the mood and tone.

The acting is strong here with everyone doing a great job. Even though this was obviously made on a limited budget, there was real care and passion put into this film and it shows.

The movie is a dark and eerie psychological horror that explores the darkest recesses of the mind. This is a movie that needs the viewers full attention as there are small details that can be easily missed.

This is one of the better horror/mystery movies that I have watched this year,

More psychological than thriller, The Woman Under the Stage is a rarity in low budget horror in the sense that it delivers on a great script and, even more rare in the genre, incredible actors to tell a story that isn't entirely unique but not derivative either. The main trio consisting of Jessica Dawn Willis, Matthew Thomkins, and Phil Harrison are amazing to watch, with strong supporting characters and actors throughout. Rather uncommon for something this, there are no weak links here. The story twists and turns throughout and while it isn't necessarily difficult to follow what's going on it will leave you wondering what is reality from start to finish. The scares are effective, but they are overshadowed by the drama which is the real selling point of the movie. It presents a core that is, again, uncommon in low budget horror and therefore elevates it above the rest. A strong meditation on the themes of artistic sacrifice that have probably been delivered better elsewhere but not in this way and not on this budget. Worth looking at on Amazon Prime.

Was fortunate to get to catch this on the big screen, and was absorbed from the opening scenes. The writing, acting, lighting and technical aspects are all top-notch.

Most interesting was the film's use of classical "method acting" as a prompt for horror, mirroring some of the more alarming stories about actors going too far (or being asked to go too far) in their preparations for a role, and stretching that concept to its most frightening extreme. Jessica Willis shines in the lead role as she struggles to hold onto her center as things around her grow progressively more unsettling, and Matthew Tompkins is fantastic as the "art bro" director who has a talent for getting people to do what he wants.

Not a horror fan myself, but this had plenty for fans of the genre, while still packing enough depth in the character and theme work to draw in those outside the horror fan club. Highly recommended!