See THE COMMUNE this Friday and receive a free DVD copy

THE COMMUNE: A New Cult Classic is a throwback to the 70’s style of films such as THE WICKER MAN, ROSEMARY’S BABY or SUSPIRIA. It gets it power not from blood and cheap shocks but by slowly building an atmosphere of growing unease and tension until the final truly terrifying moment.


Jenny Cross (Chauntal Lewis) on the verge of her 16th birthday is forced to spend the summer with her deadbeat hippie dad (Stuart G. Bennett) at his out of the way commune. Not fitting in with all the older new age hippies. Jenny thinks the summer is truly going to blow until she meets Puck (David Lago), a local boy from town. The growing romance between them is counterbalanced by a series of events and discoveries at the commune that lead Jenny to believe that something sinister is going on and that she must get out before it is too late.


For a movie like this to work, you have to care what happens to your lead and Chauntal Lewis gives an excellent performance that really captures the change from youthful innocence to a burgeoning sexuality. She plays off well with Stuart G. Bennett who is creepier at the film progresses. He nicely underplays the creepy factor and rather allows that feeling about him to grow as the audience sees his change through Jenny’s eyes.


The technical aspects are all first rate and give the film a look of a higher budgeted film. The cinematography and especially the fine score really capture the flavor of those 70’s horror films.


The heart of the film is Elisabeth Fies who wrote, directed, produced and played a major part in the film. She expertly crafts the tension by keeping it on a slow boil at first and then raising the heat. The complex storyline mixes satire, Greek tragedy, and horror into a coming of age tale with a nasty bite. The ending lives up to the tagline, Every Girl’s Worst Fear. It is a film that will stick in your head for a while.


Like the film, the DVD is a notch above most independent entries and boasts two commentary tracks, deleted scenes, bloopers, a making of feature, interviews and a PDF of the screenplay.


THE COMMUNE will be playing on Friday, November 12th at 7:30 PM as part of the Valley Film Festival. Everyone who purchases a $10 ticket will receive an autographed DVD of the film. So see the film and help support independent horror!

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