See Jane Run is an
Independent Horror Offering That Will Appeal to the Art House Crowd
See Jane Run
is the newest production by JenKev Productions and is very well written
and well acted. If you are a fan of art-house horror then you are in
luck.
Written by The
Horror Czar (BHM Editor Don
Sumner) October 25, 2007
Release:
October 9, 2007 Directed by: Ryan Webb
Starring:
Jennifer Clary as Jane Sasha Andreev as Andrew Kessler Joe Estevez as Andrew Kessler Sr. John Rodriguez as James Kevin Haberer as Neil Jeremy Steel as Tyler Samantha Bianchini as Randi
Micro-budget independent horror can take many forms from
gore-fest to art house. I love low budget Indy flicks primarily because
the story must carry the production and every supporting element
(acting, editing, sound) must really “be there” if
the thing is going to fly. The challenge for a low-budget Independent
film maker lies in the simplicity itself…every element
portrayed will be under the viewer’s microscope because there
are not lavish visuals, dramatic effects or big-named actors to divert
attention.
After watching See Jane Run, and Independent
offering from JenKev Productions I have mixed feelings.
See Jane Run begins with four young people on a road
trip bickering in the
car. The driver, James (John Rodriguez) is leading the foursome to a
historical landmark of some kind, a detour from their primary
destination. The front seat passenger and James’ girlfriend,
Randi (Samantha Bianchini) is not happy with the change of intended
routes and makes her feelings very known…she is a bit of a
bitch. In the back seat is James’ brother Neil (Kevin
Haberer, also co-producer – the “kev”
part of JenKev Productions) who is the resident “too cool for
school” teenager. Finally, there’s Jane (Jennifer
Clary, also the co-producer – the “Jen”
part). Jane is bookish, quiet and somber, and steals glances at James
in between voicing her approval of the detour.
As the crew searches for the historical landmark they encounter a
pedestrian on the side of the road who has obviously had car trouble
(Jeremy Steel). Girlfriend Randi, it seems, is a bit of a slut and
insists that they pick up this stranger and give him a ride to the
nearest service station.
Once at the station the hitchhiker (nicknamed “smoking
friend”) learns that his car will take a full day to fix, and
joins the foursome on their trek to the monument. They also go to have
some of the “best barbeque around” on the
suggestion of the station attendant.
The arrival at the “barbeque joint” is confusing to
all as the address the station attendant provided is a personal
residence in a housing development. The owner of the house greets them
in the street and invites them all in for dinner (which, by the way, is
hamburgers…not barbeque). For most this will be the last
dinner they ever eat.
See Jane Run is a very interesting
ride in terms of story. First there is the base story of the road trip
and the excursion for barbeque along with themes of strange religion
and cannibalism as a form of spiritual power. Beyond that there are
interesting dynamics between each of the characters as the inner
workings of the characters are explored on screen. Overall the
character development and “Payton Place” drama
elements are very well done. This is a psychotic soap opera.
There are some good gore scenes in See Jane Run,
but they would seem somewhat out of place had I not known from the
beginning that this is a horror movie. One request though –
drop the computer generated blood. The psychological elements played
well, but the horror elements generally did not. The suspense bits that
were thrown in were hit and miss – I could tell what director
Ryan Webb was trying to do, but the mood was just a hair off.
All said
and done, See Jane Run requires a bit of thinking. This is not a bad
thing of course…it just is. The story is great and the
acting is excellent. The production quality is outstanding also, which
is one of the areas where micro-budget independent horror often fails.
The editing and sound are as well done as any studio production out
there. The only gripes are that See Jane Run can be
a bit slow at times and crosses that line into “art house
horror” too far for my personal taste.
Personal
taste aside, See Jane Run is a quality production
with an intricate story and stellar performances all around. I am
looking forward to the next offering from JenKev productions
– the core elements are there, and I believe that each new
offering will continue to improve. Questions
or comments about See Jane Run? Contact us!
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the
car. The driver, James (John Rodriguez) is leading the foursome to a
historical landmark of some kind, a detour from their primary
destination. The front seat passenger and James’ girlfriend,
Randi (Samantha Bianchini) is not happy with the change of intended
routes and makes her feelings very known…she is a bit of a
bitch. In the back seat is James’ brother Neil (Kevin
Haberer, also co-producer – the “kev”
part of JenKev Productions) who is the resident “too cool for
school” teenager. Finally, there’s Jane (Jennifer
Clary, also the co-producer – the “Jen”
part). Jane is bookish, quiet and somber, and steals glances at James
in between voicing her approval of the detour.
Once at the station the hitchhiker (nicknamed “smoking
friend”) learns that his car will take a full day to fix, and
joins the foursome on their trek to the monument. They also go to have
some of the “best barbeque around” on the
suggestion of the station attendant.
The arrival at the “barbeque joint” is confusing to
all as the address the station attendant provided is a personal
residence in a housing development. The owner of the house greets them
in the street and invites them all in for dinner (which, by the way, is
hamburgers…not barbeque). For most this will be the last
dinner they ever eat.
See Jane Run is a very interesting
ride in terms of story. First there is the base story of the road trip
and the excursion for barbeque along with themes of strange religion
and cannibalism as a form of spiritual power. Beyond that there are
interesting dynamics between each of the characters as the inner
workings of the characters are explored on screen. Overall the
character development and “Payton Place” drama
elements are very well done. This is a psychotic soap opera.
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