Romeo's Distress

Director - Jeff Frumess (Am I Demon?, Beyond the Green Hole)

Starring - Anthony Malchar, Renee Mandel (Gouge Away), and Kimberely A. Peterson 

Release Date - 2016

Genre - Horror/Romance

Tagline - "Why does love have to be this way?"

Format - Streaming (YouTube)

Rating (out of 5):

     I’m still playing catch up from October which is extremely pathetic for a film reviewer. I know a lot of others that review films for sites, blogs, YouTube, and so on and they tend to stay on top of it. They can catch a film when it’s released and have a review up same day. I’ve never been that fast. To make matters worse, back in October I made a post looking for indie horror flick to review as part of my October horror binge and was greeted with over 100 films. I couldn’t turn them away so I added them to my watch list to slowly chip away at. One of those films is Jeff Frumess’ Shakespeare inspired fantasy horror film Romeo’s Distress. Sometime back I reviewed his film Gouge Away and was looking forward to checking it out. I want to thank Jeff for sending it over! 

      The film follows James. James seems to be lost in the world often catching a beating from another a young man when he’s not busy roaming the cemetery. James is in love with Jane but Jane is dead. Her father did not want the two together and after her death he vows to never let him linger around her final resting place. While the viewer feels sorry James, the film further reveals that maybe Jane didn’t love James back and he may have crossed the line. 

      Romeo’s Distress was not the film I was expecting but it’s a film that quickly gained my respect and admiration. I’m not cultured and I know I have the worst sense of taste when it comes to film and other mediums. I know nothing about Shakespeare or his work but I have seen a few horror flicks that parody or pay tribute to him in their way. While I couldn’t tell you how close this film is to the work it is inspired I can tell you that it’s one of the better indie dark fantasy films that I’ve seen. The acting in this one is great. I noticed that this was the first, and in a few instances only, acting credit for a good portion of the cast which is seriously impressive. While the whole film features a fantastic cast, I was seriously impressed by Anthony Malchar in the lead role. His character has many layers and he showed talent beyond his years with his performance. The story for this one is a gothic fantasy thriller that takes the viewer on a ride they would not expect. When the film starts the viewer is given a glimpse into the world of a lonely young man trying to find happiness in the world. It’s not until much later in the film that we see the sinister side. It’s brilliant and if you give it a chance the pay off is well worth it. Finally, don’t expect a film full of amazing effects and memorable deaths. Instead, we are given a character driven film that replies heavily on it’s amazing story. Overall, Romeo’s Distress is a prime example of what can be done with no budget and a brilliant story. I highly recommend it.