Starry Eyes

Indie horror can be hit or miss, oftentimes a miss, but Starry Eyes is a surprisingly well acted story that sways toward the "hit" side.

Los Angeles, California – the land where bright eyed beautiful people go to try their hand at stardom. Some are lucky if they get a national commercial or a guest spot on a television series, most resigned to locally produced indie flicks that will only be seen by their inner circle.

Starry Eyes takes the brutally competitive and unmerciful Hollywood atmosphere and couples it with the darkest desire, the blind ambition to seize success. Alex Essoe is Sarah, an aspiring actress engaged in the LA grind: waiting tables, submitting head shots and going on casting calls. After one particularly odd audition, she earns the opportunity for a lead role in a gateway movie. Hopeful for her big break, Sarah grapples with making a deal to enter into the dark and occult world of the elite.

Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer split the dual role of screenwriter/director in Starry Eyes but produce a cohesive vision in their film. It is immediately apparent that Kolsch and Widmyer have been around the Los Angeles block more than enough times. They perfectly capture the pompous, self-serving atmosphere rife with deceptively two-faced phonies who talk more than they 'do'.

Starry Eyes is a surprisingly successful and effective film and horror. The mood is stark and matter-of-factedly vicious. As with any horror, it lulls in the middle as the characters evolve and develop so that they may transform feasibly to the climax. Also the cause for and transformation Sarah goes through is rather standard and obvious.

Alex Essoe's acting and portrayal of Sarah elevates Starry Eyes even further. Essoe subtly transforms from the hopeful ingenue to the ambitiously consumed actress hell bent for greatness. Weirdly poignant and meta, I hope Alex Essoe's performance in this role garners some attention from producers in the right place, for she has talent.

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This movie was a slow burn, with the feel of an 80's throwback. It will not however be for everyone. By no means is it action packed, filled with cgi or littered with sex scenes. It does pay homage to old school nitty gritty horror that did not reply on all of the aforementioned. The vibe is dark and somewhat quirky, but in a good way. I've read other reviews comparing it to movies such as suspiria, and I can't stand behind that opinion. If you grew up on 80's style horror and have a love for the strange, then this one might just be for you. It does have a slow start, but if you stick with it, surely it will prove to be a rewarding experience. I thoroughly enjoyed pretty much every minute of it. The ending seemed a bit lackluster in comparison to the rest of the movie, but that can be forgiven as I can't quite picture any other ending personally. I immediately found myself rooting for "Sarah." I wanted to see her acquire her goals, but somewhere in the mix of it all I found myself disliking her. Very nice character progression with her. The actors did what I thought was a very striking performance. All in all, I'd definitely say give this movie a go

Starry Eyes is not for the faint of heart. I've seen many horror movies and this is definitely on the more extreme side so if you have a weak stomach then this isn't for you. However, it's brutally real in telling its story about a girl who wants to be a star and is willing to do whatever it takes to reach that goal. It's darkly comedic at times and horrifically gruesome at others. I cringed and winced plenty of times during this movie. And it's not even solely because of the graphic imagery, which is horrifying enough (but thankfully never crosses into torture porn). It's also because Starry Eyes sheds a dark light on Hollywood and on human nature itself by exploring the most vile, revolting aspects of both.

The movie is heavily reliant on atmosphere, and it definitely gives off a David Lynch and Requiem for a Dream vibe throughout. It's watching someone go through a downward spiral, from quitting their job, to abandoning everything and everyone, and the filmmakers don't sugarcoat a thing. It gets genuinely disturbing and hard to watch at times, but what draws you into it in the first place and what really makes you *believe* is the performances. Alex Essoe is absolutely terrifying as Sarah. The supporting cast is surprisingly great too, and it's amazing how quickly we sympathize with Sarah and how we gradually end up sympathizing more for her friends later on. After a while it's like you're not even watching actors - the story comes to life on screen. This is a testament to everything working in harmony: the filmmakers' vision, the actors' devotion to the roles, the eerie retro electronic score, the bleak cinematography. It all comes together to create a powerful, haunting piece of art.

This movie had potential to be truly groundbreaking. As I said it's brilliantly written, acted, and directed. What threw me a bit was the ending. I won't spoil anything but they take an odd turn in the final act and you'll know it when you see it. It's not even that it's bad - the movie still left me in utter shock. I just know it could've been much more effective had they gone the deeper psychological route, which is teased at for the first three quarters of the film. Regardless, the journey itself is disturbing enough that by the time the ending comes you're already speechless and exhausted from the experience. It's just that little step that could've made it a psychological masterpiece as opposed to a highly effective insight into the darkness of human ambition.

Starry Eyes disturbed me. It really did. If you like Lynch-esque movies that make you think but also make you feel unnerved then you'll definitely get some chills and thrills from Starry Eyes. These filmmakers have proved enough to cement themselves on any horror fan's radar; even if you aren't into the extreme side of the genre you can appreciate what the filmmakers set out to achieve here. This is a movie that sticks with you after the credits roll. It is a wild ride for its brief runtime and certainly worth a watch for any fan of dark psychological horror.

Four stars positive for a fairly innovative score and Argento-esque visuals, plus some pretty solid acting by the lead and one or two supporting actors. Beyond that, I have to admit, I watched the entire thing (resisting the urge to turn it off many times) because I wanted, hoped for, the ending to bring everything together in some redeeming way. Instead, I was disappointed. The movie was difficult to watch all around but not because of horror elements - it's hard, for one thing, to feel invested in a story when you can't empathize with its protagonist - admittedly there are exceptions to that but this isn't one of them. I also felt like some of the plot devices relied on clichéd, negative stereotyping (can't say more without spoilers) and that the end just didn't make sense in any narrative or metaphor driven way. I'm sure there are some who'd argue otherwise, and they are welcome to their opinions, but overall, Starry Eyes was just a huge letdown for me.

Aspiring actress, Sarah Walker (Alexandra Essoe) auditions for a part in a horror film. Hoping not only to get her "big break", but also to escape her dismal life, including her job at a bottom-of-the-barrel restaurant, Sarah is quite desperate.

Her interactions with the movie's Producer (Louis Dezseran) and his Casting Director (Maria Olsen) grow increasingly bizarre and uncomfortable. Sarah has no idea what she must sacrifice in order for her dreams to come true. Resisting at first, her life begins to change into a nightmare world of physical and mental disintegration. Sarah finally realizes what she is being compelled to do, but can she do it?

STARRY EYES is an exceptional horror film, and a darkly satirical look at the cost of fame. Ms. Essoe is phenomenal, pretty much carrying the entire movie on the strength of her performance. If you're tired of the same old thing in horror films, then give this a shot...