Women in horror cinema usually consist of an actress that knows the genre well and has been in more than a half a dozen of them, mainly B-movies. So who’s to say that an academy award winning actress can’t play the role of a heroine (or in this case victim) who fighting for her life. Kim Basinger is willing to fill these shoes, and although we haven’t seen her in the spotlight much since she stared in the film 8 MILE, and then she had that nasty divorce from Alec Baldwin; it was good to see her in a role where she got down and dirty and did some brutal ass kicking of her own.
Kim Basinger stars as Della, a house wife who takes care of her kids but seems to be in an abusive relationship with her husband whom seems does nothing but work and expects his wife to take care of his needs. When she leaves the house to do some shopping she is ambushed in the parking lot by a group of thugs lead by a guy named Chuckie (Lukas Haas). The thugs try to rob her, but they are soon distracted by a mall cop who tries to stop them. they of course shoot him in the head and Della is a witness to the crime. She gets in her car and flees the scene but the thugs follow. When Della crashes her car, Chuckie and his gang are hot on her tale. She escapes into a construction site where homes are being built that is surrounded by nothing but forest. Chuckie and his clan want her dead and nothing will stop them from hunting Della down. Armed only with a tool box full of tools Della will have to trek her way though the forest and take out Chuckie and his gang one by one if she’s going to survive though the night.
The script for this film is by no means an original one. We’ve seen plenty of films like this where someone is being chased though the woods by a group or family of people who want to do nothing but kill them. What this film does have however is a very well developed main character. Della is this weak homemaker who puts up with a lot of crap from not only her husband but from the people around her. When she gets into this situation we watch her grow from a weak women into a tough survivor. With the exception of Chuckie, the rest of the characters are for the most expendable but the stories main focus seems to be on the both of them. One complaint I do have about the film is that it starts off very slowly, picks up fast them begin to slow down again as we’re buried with long monologues and conversations between the characters. The pacing is a bit all over the place, but the story is there, and it’s a good one that shows what a women will do to survive no matter what.
The acting in the film is very good. Kim Basinger gives one hell of a performance as well as Lucas Haas. The films has decent production value as well as some very good directing by writer/director Susan Montford. By the look of the films cover you probably wouldn’t expect a movie with Kim Basinger in it to have any kind of blood and gore. But trust me, you horror fans out there won’t be disappointed as there are some pretty graphic scenes in this one that will make you jump in your seat.
Overall, while the script was slow at times, the action scenes and the overall story is very good. It’s one of those movies where you really want the lead character who’s been dragged though the mud to rise above and survive. The film also has a great ending which is sure to give any women who’s ever been in an abusive relationship a reason to smile. It’s a great movie and despite it’s little flaws here and there I really enjoyed this one.
The DVD includes Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Susan Monford and Producer Don Murphy, the making of WHILE SHE WAS OUT, as well as trailers and television spots.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
