Pain Shack

Directors - Marissa and Alex Murphy
Starring - Marissa and Alex Murphy
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Thriller
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     People may know my obsession with indie horror, slashers, horror porn parodies, and pre-The Walking Dead zombie flicks, but you may not know that I spend a great deal of my time on YouTube.  Everyday I check out YouTube stars Rhett and Link, KYR Speedy, Vanoss, Angry Video Game Nerd, Mr.Parka, and every Tuesday. Epic Meal Time.  These are the most well known YouTubers but there is countless other who upload content regularly that just don't get the views that these do.  One such channel is Ricky Shore Sings that is ran by real life couple Marissa and Alex Murphy.  The film making duo recently put together their no-budget horror thriller Pain Shack.  The two did the effects for the film. shot it, edited it, directed it, and even starred in it almost all by themselves.  They were giving away screeners at this April's Cinema Wasteland where I was in attendance.  I met the lovely couple and they were kind enough to give me a copy.

     The film follows Alex, his beautiful wife Marissa, and their cute little baby.  Alex one day decides he wants to become a YouTube star just like music reviewer Ricky Shore.  His relationship between him and his wife becomes rocky as he transitions from the real world to focusing all his time to his channel.  When he fails to gain the views he had desired he starts to slowly slip from reality and starts an unhealthy obsession with Ricky who actually babysits for Alex and his wife.  His obsession with YouTube and Ricky finally reaches the breaking point and Alex snaps putting his family in the middle of his fantasy fueled rampage.  

     Ricky Shore Sings and Pain Shack were both new discoveries for me.  What caught my eye about Pain Shack was that the filmmakers themselves were just giving copies of the film away.  This excited me because I am a cheap bastard and, just like everyone, I want something for nothing.  However, several jokes sprout up in different horror groups about the film being so bad they couldn't give it away.  I knew this was not the case and I was eager to see it.  After watching it I was very surprised by the finished product considering how this was filmed literally by a two man (figure of speech) team.  The acting in this one is hit or miss.  The cast has an obvious chemistry with each other but they fail to display real emotion and completely under-react to the situation.  In several scenes the two characters are having a hard time portraying the emotion the scene was calling for.  We can tell from the dialogue that the characters are angry, upset, or sad but they continue to look almost happy.  Also, several scenes lost their impact due to that which brought the film down.  With all that being said, the acting switches gears when Alex descends into his madness.  He is able to play one convincing deranged human being which is a compliment.  The story for this one is hard to call horror when it flows like so many other dark thrillers.  Hundreds of thrillers, spanning several decades, has featured an individual who has became obsessed with one thing or another and slowly lost their sanity.  However, this one sets itself apart from the others by providing the modern twist by throwing YouTube and social media into the mix.  That was a great new spin.  Sadly, the film's running time was just a little too long for the story we are given.  The film, at times, just feels like it is dragging on and will try the viewer's patience.  Finally, the film lacks any real on screen kills but that does not take away from the mood of the film.  We do get a strangulation and so forth but nothing that would stick out for the horror fan.  Overall, Pain Shack is an entertaining no budget film that is full of heart and dedication.  The acting may not be the best but a deranged Alex is a character that will not be easily forgotten.  I recommend this one for damn sure!