Director Glen Grefe's first full-length feature film is a testament to why Independent features are produced. This self proclaimed "no budget" thriller kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Unlike other films that finish their character development within the first half hour or so, Nutcracker's characters are ever changing and evolving which keeps the viewer's interest better than many big budget films. The first reason I decided to view this film was the inclusion of David Hess to the cast. Hess has been one of my favorite Horror/Suspense actors since the mid 1980s, so naturally this film was a must-see for me. In addition to Hess, I found the film to be solidly acted throughout. I thought Bill Bragg turned in a great performance as Dr. Carlton Fairfax, and I absolutely loved Darian O'Toole's performance as the Vampiress who is not quite ready to face the world without her beloved therapist, and of course, the most subtle and underlying character in this movie was the setting itself, the gorgeous city of San Francisco, whose beauty is skillfully displayed with the film's excellent camera work. This film is also paced very nicely, and with a relatively short running time (approx. 1:20), it is an easy film to digest. I highly recommend this film to fans of Suspense Thrillers or Giallo films, as well as any fans of the work of the unmistakable David Hess! Currently, you can purchase the film on Amazon or at the film's official website but I have heard a rumor about a special Blockbuster Edition of this film possibly coming in early 2007, we can only hope! A funny side note, the film has great audio, so convincing in fact that when Carlton rings Sierra's doorbell, my 2 dogs go absolutely bonkers! Probably the only movie I own that gets a reaction like that, my hat's off to whoever mixed the audio!
