Forced Entry may just be the darkest, most twisted and unnerving short film you see this year. Gratuitous gore, barbaric violence, and senseless murder culminate in a piece of sociopathic cinema that only a bold and seasoned horror fan could possibly stomach.
Written by K.M. Jamison and directed by both Jim Bett Jr. and K.M. Jamison, Forced Entry is an “introduction into the horrific reality of two psychotic drifters who brazenly kill for sport, leaving behind a trail of mangled corpses as their routine calling card.” Starring the talents of Tom Lodewyk, James Bett jr., Tina Renee Grace, Luke Balek, Ellie Church, Jason Hignite, and Brigid Macaulay, Forced Entry is a difficult watch that will leave most viewers incredibly disturbed.
The film’s inspiration is taken from the infamous “Toolbox Killers”—Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris. These famous American serial killers kidnapped, raped, tortured, and killed five teenage girls in Southern California over a period of five months in 1979. With such depraved characters serving as inspiration for the film, it is then no shocker that Forced Entry quickly goes from zero to eleven, drawing heavily from the popular exploitation style films popular in the nineties.
The film does suffer from a number of flaws, some more blatant than others. I’d reckon that personal tastes will way in heavily on whether or not you would actually find this film enjoyable in any sense of the word. Forced Entry is, without pulling punches, what I’d classify as exploitation meets torture-porn. These are, unfortunately, rather loaded terms, so let us break the short down to specifics.
The production value is oftentimes lacking, with one forest chase-scene poorly edited. The footage is very indie but does have that authentic 90s feel to it. With most exploitation-style films, the focus is never really on the overall footage but more so on the gore—and here Forced Entry scores a 10. Very believable special effects, buckets of blood and very real looking flesh all culminate in some of the most authentic looking kills I’ve seen in an indie short film. If you watch these films for the violence and viscera, you’ve found your next favourite.
If you’ve come for the script, the acting, or overall plot, you’re going to be disappointed. The film moves quickly from one kill scene to the next, with most of the ‘dialogue’ being the shrill screams of the victims or murderous taunting. While obviously low in budget, the cast does manage to keep you engaged, albeit due to the successfully horrific deaths. A lot of the assault is sexual in nature and definitely not for the squeamish or the feint of heart.
Horror is a massive genre with its tentacles in all sorts of pies. I prefer mine creature or cosmic, lycanthropic or supernatural. Forced Entry is real. It is a window into the actual horrors that happen in our world and not a form of safe escapism that most horror films take to shield our fragile psyches from the true evil that exists in and around us. Forced Entry is a shock-horror than brings you starkly back to the real world and forces you to stare down the demons that dwell within mankind.
Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. This one is still doing its festival rounds but we will update this review once the short film is available for you regular folk. Artwork below.
