Jennifer (Sarah Butler) is an aspiring writer looking for a quiet getaway as she plans to begin writing her new book. She travels deep into the darkest depths of Louisiana to find solace and inspiration, along the way, however, she finds a group of men who lack any idea of personal space or morality. As the men stalk and haunt Jennifer, she finds that they have only scratched the surface of their demented and horrific capabilities. Once they are finished with her, she makes the decision to pursue each man in an attempt to settle the score.
The content of the film is incredibly difficult to bear. Director Stephen R. Monroe made sure to get up close and personal during the scenes depicting sexual assault, making them uncomfortable and hard to watch. As dark and demented as these scenes were, the extreme closeups allowed audiences to empathize with Jennifer and appreciate the pain that she was experiencing. Paired with Butler’s wonderful performance, every moment of the agonizing acts committed by the men were multiplied tenfold. The camera crew did a beautiful job of ramping up audiences and feeding on their anxiety as the film progressed. Before anything major happened, the crew had to force viewers to the edge of their seats. They perfectly utilized the sets and used mirrors and windows to draw on the audience’s fear of what was about to happen. Reflections of characters on set were used to draw on the audience's emotions and their expectations of what was sure to happen soon.
The problem with this film (at least for the cast and the crew) is the fact that they have found a minuscule niche within filmgoers. The film, as a whole, does not appeal to the masses and does not present a story that many would find appealing. The aggressive rape scenes, the gorey acts of revenge and the distasteful nudity appeals to few and leaves the production company--as well as the cast and crew--exposed to a potential financial loss. Even with the low budget of $2 million, the film lost money and, in the end, suffered.
With all of the being said, Monroe surrounded himself with a trustworthy cast and crew and developed a story, regardless of how demented, that appealed successfully to its target audiences.
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