We get a clue as to what we’re in for in the first scene as we witness an unidentified person in a dark, grimy location grabbing three rats and putting them into a liquidiser - then collecting the resulting bloody goo in a bowl! This is the opening tease, which fits in later as the mayhem unfolds.
It actually starts as a slow-burn drama about Alice, who is in a relationship with a married man but is torn between her love for him and the need to be sensible and do the right thing for them both, as he's not leaving his wife. She attends a support group and even has a mentor who encourages her to keep away from Michael, but she struggles - much like she does with quitting smoking.
Amongst all this, Alice has a blocked bath and appeals to the manager of her apartment block to fix it. She runs a beauty business from home, so it’s vital that everything works and looks pristine. One day, she comes home to discover sounds coming from her bathroom. She goes to investigate and is confronted by a figure standing scarily bolt-upright, staring at her in silence - reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs or an early scene from The Sixth Sense!
Eventually, the woman speaks - she has cleared the hair from the plug. This is Shelly, the maintenance person for the building. On closer inspection, it becomes clear that Shelly has a severe facial disfigurement, which she tries to hide under a baseball cap. Alice instantly feels sorry for her and treats her with kindness, offering her work as a cleaner twice a week. All seems well, even though Shelly hardly speaks and lacks social confidence.
As Alice continues to dodge the Michael situation, she and Shelly become close, forming a bond by sharing the odd meal and watching films on the telly together. Alice even teaches Shelly how to use makeup on her scars, which Shelly claims were the result of burning. Shelly, in turn, starts to feel sorry for Alice's romantic no-win situation and decides she wants to help. And we eventually find out how!
As the story progresses, we learn through flashbacks that Shelly’s scars were not the result of an accident, but rather horrific abuse by her mother placing her in terrible situations. I'll leave you to discover the extent of that yourself! We also see Shelly back in that 'garage' from the opening scene, taking the liquidised rats into a lock-up and force-feeding them to a human-looking creature she has chained up - confirming it was indeed her at the start.
You might get the impression that it’s all a bit far-fetched by now and, yes, highly unlikely as it all is, we follow Shelly as she leaps from one grisly, nasty act to another. Meanwhile, Michael’s wife smells a rat (no, not the liquidised ones!) and starts to investigate for herself into his antics, wishing later she hadn't! It then turns into complete chaos as we head for the finale and a big showdown, featuring a perhaps not-so-expected ending.
I thought the film was well-shot and directed by Jon Knautz, and the lead actresses - Alexis Kendra as Alice and Rachel Alig as Shelly - were both very convincing. It’s an interesting, atmospheric ride that is excellently paced, moving from a slow simmer to a crescendo. The timeline is clear and the reveals about Shelly’s childhood fit perfectly with the dastardly outcomes.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this 90-minute thriller, but I’m pleased I got stuck in. Low budget it might be, but they’ve squeezed every last drop of value from it. It’s available on several streaming services and even free (with ads) on Plex.
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