Romantic Hideaway

Romantic Hideaway is one of the best films to come out of the 50 kisses competition. In just 5 minutes, this story reminiscent of the Fritzl case, manages two plot twists and a truly haunting ending. Andrew T. Wright uses dramatic horror conventions brilliantly, tricking the audience into a false sense of security from the start and slowly revealing more and more of the horror that has gone on in this house.

The film starts with a mysterious tone as Norman (Donie Ryan) prepares a Valentines Day breakfast for his sweetheart Elena (Pagan McGrath). It is only when Norman turns around, and we get to see him in full, that the creepiness of his character is immediately apparent. Hats off to Donie Ryan for being able to show this in just a posture and a facial expression.

The sound design in Romantic Hideaway plays a vital role in creating a tense and sinister atmosphere. The combination of sound and jump cuts are used particularly well when we first see Elena, conveying the terrible state she is in superbly. The set design and lighting are also essential in doing this and although the mutilated dolls may be a little obvious, the shots of sodium chloride injections are uniquely shocking.

Romantic Hideaway is a confidently directed and professionally put together short that proves that a lot can be done with only a small budget, a single location, two actors and five minutes.

I screened RH at SHORTFILM at the Troubadour in London, UK on 8 April 2013. It was one of 10 films selected to be shown at the monthly event and filled the drama/horror genre. Prior to it being shown, I, the host, intro'd the film by stating that ATW is a dir. who's not afraid to tackle darker subjects that are all too real in this world, etc, etc..and warned the viewers, "It's not for the squeamish." I stood at the back of the club and watched their reactions. Everyone was enthralled. The music, pacing, murky setting was very well-balanced. The male lead was a bit laboured/contrived but the female lead was all too convincing, much better than the run-of-the-mill horror victim, and could have all too easily slipped into standard slasher screamer. The film owes a great deal to her performance.

Good use of tight space in her cell. While it relied on some cliché images, overall, the weight of the experience conveyed itself successfully. Our audience was silent throughout and cheered when she fought back and were a bit breathless at the cliffhanger ending. All on the edge of their seats.

It may have added to their shock as I showed RH at the beginning of the 2nd block of films after the first break which had followed a quirky comedy film. So the impact was more profound.

When I re-took the stage, I said, "See, I told you so... think she gets away? You'll just have to wait for the feature to find out." They genuinely want to see that. So it's got mileage.

We had an audience vote for Best Film of the night and it garnered quite a few. I would've appreciated it if the director or someone from the prodtn. were at the screening as it is our usual rule of thumb to show films only by those who attend and support other filmmakers present, but it was good enough to show on the night and def. filled a category that all too often can be shlocky.

All in all a brave effort and I look forward to the feature length version! Good luck!