Director: Billy Ray Brewton
Cast: Ben Hethcoat, Corsica Wilson, Clancy McCartney
Production Company: Ghost Road Pictures
Runtime: 79 minutes
Losing a friend or loved one is always difficult. We all deal with it in different ways. Isolating yourself from other people is likely a tragic mistake. Director Billy Ray Brewton explores the mourning process and its darkest side effects in Show Yourself (2016).
In the movie, Travis (Ben Hethcoat) rents a secluded cabin to get away from it all, and to deal with the recent death of his friend. He soon discovers that he’s probably not alone in the woods. Has his friend somehow returned, or is something even more sinister going on?
In a way, Show Yourself is like The Big Chill (1983) for horror fans. There are bittersweet memories, comforting friends, and music that references a better time. Contrarily, we also get ghostly apparitions, spooky events, and freaky hallucinations.
The movie stresses drama over horror, but it does have its creepy moments. The psychological effects of loss and seclusion are what’s really at the leading edge of this film. It’s difficult to sort out what’s real or imagined as the film moves toward its conclusion.
Ben Hethcoat provides us with a thoughtful performance as the grieving lead character. He does a great job showing the downfall of his character’s mental and emotional state. This is even more impressive considering he’s alone for most of his scenes in the movie.
Isolation and its effect on the mind is a theme that’s been examined in a lot of horror movies. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) is a prime example. Brewton covers some of the same ground here, while also providing some much-needed hope as well.
Show Yourself won the Graveyard Shift Audience Choice Award and was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Nashville Film Festival in 2017. It premiered at Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival in Chicago and has screened at a number of other festivals.
Show Yourself is the story of one man’s struggle to come to terms with his best friend’s death. Ghosts have a way of residing mostly in your mind…
– John Migliore
For more information on the film, check out the links below…
Indie Horror Online 