The Samaritans

Filmed over a mere 4 days with 6 people lending a hand, utilizing one set and uncovering much of its tension and nerve shredding through dialogue and performance, The Samaritans is a low-key/high concept horror that proves all you need to make a proficient feature is the right attitude, commitment and endeavor.

A small independent offering directed by the hard-working Doug Bollinger, that follows on from his recent efforts such as Gravedigger and Rock, Paper, Scissors, Samaritans sees Bollinger and his regular partner in crime writer/actor Keith Collins come up with a devious game of cat and mouse, that see's four APP developers trapped in a basement with a demonic presence, as a game of spin the bottle takes a potentially deadly turn.

It's a unique set-up and one that's clearly plotted out by Bollinger and Collins, who also take on acting duties as lead male performers Eddie and Frank respectively and as the story begins to unfold of these seemingly innocent everyday people, you'll be frequently surprised by where things take you along the twisty and turning narrative arc.

Most impressively for a film shot over such a brief period, Samaritans features an extremely on point cast with Bollinger and Collins joined by the equally game and up for the challenge Timothy Laurel Harrison and Annelise Nielsen who give it their all to round out the four person cast.

It's a great showcase for all performers and one that suggests they all deserve greater opportunities moving forward, with a large portion of independent films and in particular low-key horror offerings suffering from poor casting, the Samaritans bypasses this regular flaw thanks to the proficient acting turns that keep you engaged throughout.

With proceedings playing out solidly thanks to this, you get the feeling that The Samaritans simple yet gleefully playful set-up is the perfect type of material for a future incarnation as a stage-play, sharing the similarities found in many plays with small casts and singular locations, although its more exciting to think about where the partnership between Bollinger and Collins may move to as their working collaborations grow and prosper into the future, regardless of genre.

Final Say -

Overcoming its low-budget roots and staying clear of many of the downfalls of similar projects, The Samaritans is a smartly constructed and well put together horror offering that should be sought out by genre aficionados ASAP.

3 ½ basements out of 5

Saw this film at a festival and had to get it to rewatch and share with friends!!! Such an awesome movie that keeps you glued to the screen throughout and perfect for a movie night! The cast is super talented and really carry this unique story- 10/10 would recommend to all suspense and thriller movie lovers!

This movie showcased some impressive acting that kept you glued to your seat. Eddie brought a few good one liners to pull some chuckles from the audience. As the bottle turned all four characters shined as the inner demons awoke. The story is intense and the writing is complex.... gotta pay attention. Good job!

Like another reviewer stated, those 10/10 reviews can't be by anyone except people affiliated with the movie itself. Literally no-one in their right mind would rate this as more than a 6/10 - and that's fine, director and crew; you had a tiny budget, a tiny on-location set, and four actors. 6/10 should be a compliment to you.

Now, here is the reality: none of the actors are particularly skilled; they do try, though, and you can tell that a couple of them gave it everything they had. They're just not good at their craft... yet. If they continue to persevere and commit to their roles for the next few years, who knows? Maybe they'll become somewhat decent actors. In this film, however, no-one is convincing at any point. That is, in part, due to the below average script, and the ridiculously repetitive nature of the story.

In a way, it's very hard to blame the actors for their performances as, IMHO, it would take an actor of considerable skill to be consistently believable in a project like this. Well, this specific project, anyway. I mean the story could be described as 'original', if not, 'unusual'. But it's just so repetitive. The action is just repeated over and over, and it doesn't make sense that the characters seem clueless as to what's going on for so long. The details are so specific you're just flummoxed as to why they all seem to be either nonchalant, disbelieving, or confused for SUCH a long time.

Look, I sat through the whole thing, and while I didn't enjoy it, there's something to be said for my perseverance.

The honest truth is that this is poorly acted (but not badly acted), poorly written, adequately filmed and edited, and has a somewhat different concept.

I can't recommend it, you'll most probably be bored or frustrated, or both, but it's not horrible. It is not, however, unless you were involved in the production, EVER going to be close to a 10/10. That's where you made your mistake, director/producer/actors, if you'd have given it a 6 or, at a stretch, 7/10, you might have gotten away with it. As it is, you stand out like a sore thumb, and your attempt to dupe people into watching your film removes any respect I might have had for you.

The movie you never heard about but SHOULD talk about! 10/10 stars