Director: Preston DeFrancis
Cast: Marcienne Dwyer, Matt Dellapina, Chris Hill
Production Company: Terror Weekend Productions
Runtime: 87 minutes
If you were in a horror movie, you’d probably know exactly what to do. You’d never go running up the stairs instead of out the front door, or forget your cell phone at home. Ruin Me (2017) reminds us that knowing is only half the battle…
In the movie, Alex (Marcienne Dwyer) reluctantly agrees to join her boyfriend (Matt Dellapina) on an extreme horror experience called Slasher Sleepout. When people start disappearing, Alex finds it very difficult to separate fiction from reality.
The characters in the movie are completely aware of the many horror tropes that they’ll face during this intense event. In fact, most of them are counting on it. This kind of awareness can also be seen in films like Scream (1996) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012).
The numerous references to films like Freaks (1932), Carrie (1976), Dead Ringers (1988), Chaos (2005), Insidious (2010), and Shutter Island (2010) add to the meta qualities of this movie. Even the characters seem to represent the different kind of people who watch horror films.
Marcienne Dwyer from The Impaler (2013) is excellent in the role of Alex. She successfully displays a range of emotions while also maintaining an enigmatic personality. Dwyer gives the sense that more is happening in her character’s head than just what we see on screen.
The cast includes Eva Hamilton from Ouija House (2017), Cameron Gordon from Titanic II (2010), Rocky Rector from Return of the Dead (2016), and Alex Galick from The Horror (2017). I enjoyed seeing so many actors from other horror movies in this genre-centric film.
The plot is full of baffling mysteries that challenge both the audience and the characters alike. Some of these puzzling events turn out to be real, while others are simply part of the game. Trying to figure out what’s actually going on is a big part of the movie’s appeal.
This film will certainly entertain anyone who enjoys haunted attractions and creepy escape rooms. Can you solve all of the film’s mysteries before it’s too late? Ruin Me challenges us to take what we know, and use it to survive the night…
– John Migliore
For more information on the film, check out the links below…
Ruin Me at the Hexploitation Film Festival
Indie Horror Online 