Death on Scenic Drive

Death on Scenic Drive is an eerie and enigmatic horror movie released in 2017, directed by Gabriel Carrer and featuring Stephanie Ash, Ry Barrett, and Jessica Vano in pivotal roles. This chilling movie employs a multilayered plot that flows meticulously, with an escalating ambiance of dread and alarm. The film extends the tradition of psychological horror, blending it with supernatural elements while avoiding performance-dulling cliches.

The movie begins with Larissa (Jessica Vano in a riveting performance), a young artist who takes on a house sitting job in a secluded hill-top mansion, overlooking a tranquil scenic drive. She's an aspiring artist, hoping to find inspiration and tranquility in isolation. Little does she realize that this solitary mission would soon become her most incredibly horrifying experience ever.

The mansion paints an eerily rustic picture imbibed with an immersive atmosphere that enhances the aura of fear. It's loaded with an uncanny charm that breeds a cold whisper of terror. The house itself becomes a character in the film, with its peculiar sounds and unsettling aura – an old Victorian edifice, filled with creepy portraits and creaky staircases, surrounded by thick forestry in a seemingly serene landscape.

However, from the moment Larissa steps into the expansive house with its fascinating yet sinister appeal, a bizarre transformation starts to occur. She experiences strange anomalies that are mysteriously linked with ‘The Laughing Mask,’ an eerie painting in the mansion. A trace of otherworldly supernatural malevolence starts to manifest, and Larissa begins an alarming downward spiral. Audiences watch as her reality ventures towards a grotesque nightmare, obliterating the boundaries between the corporeal and the spectral.

Among the standout contributions is Ry Barrett’s performance as an unknown stranger who crosses paths with Larissa. Barrett wonderfully portrays the gloomy, secretive character delivering just the right amount of intensity. Stephanie Ash also features, bringing invaluable depth to the cast, enhancing the perplexing narrative and tonal intricacies of the movie.

Notably, the film’s allure doesn't just rest in its performances, but also resides in the minutely detailed art direction and the haunting cinematography. The narrative exploits the visual aspects to heighten the discomforting aura of the story. Aesthetic shots of foggy landscapes interwoven with an icy solitude, mixed with the harsh reality of isolation, invokes a sense of both longing and fear. The movie lets loose a variety of eerie, unpredictable experiences unleashing a terrifying magnificence that works in the film's favour.

The ambient sound design is another critical aspect of the film experience. With the remote mansion setting, the distinctive sound design, and chilling score significantly contribute to the escalating tension building up to the climax. The sudden odd noises, whispering silence, and heart-stopping intrusions of sound together evoke a sinister atmosphere coercing viewers to the edge of their seats.

Director Gabriel Carrer paints a captivatingly nerve-racking picture. Recognized for his unique story-telling approach that embraces audience absorption while hiding layers within the narrative, Carrer pens a screenplay that aptly captures human vulnerability and terror. Death on Scenic Drive is a definitive exemplar of his distinctive direction style which seeks more to disturb rather than offer jump-scares or monstrous villains.

In Death on Scenic Drive, as Larissa's story unfolds, the viewers are left with an impending sense of doom. The movie cleverly delves into the heart of fear, showing us that horror thrives in the ambiguities of the mind as much as it does in the shadows outside. The film can be seen as a nightmarish exploration into loneliness, fear of the unknown, and darkness both within and outside human existence.

An amalgamation of psychological dread and supernatural elements, this movie promises a bone-chilling adventure interwoven with a commentary on human fears and supernatural allegories. It thrives in delivering ambiguity, inciting dread and suspense, unraveling a horrifying culmination that hits at the core of innate fears. If psychological horror with steadily mounting suspense is your preference, Death on Scenic Drive is not a film you would want to miss.