Shut In – Toronto After Dark 2015

An agoraphobic woman deals with a group of men invading her house in Shut In. Anna (Beth Riesgraf) is a woman who hasn’t left her house in a decade, with her only real connections being her brother Conrad (Timothy McKinney), friend Charlotte (Leticia Jimenez) and food delivery man Danny (Rory Culkin). When Conrad dies of cancer, Anna ends up not going to the funeral, only for the house to be broken into by the trio of J.P. (Jack Kesy), Vance (Joshua Mikel), and Perry (Martin Starr), who are looking for a stash of money. While Anna initially seems to be the victim of this break-in, it quickly becomes apparent that these three men have messed with the wrong woman.

Shut In is a home invasion thriller, which came off to me like a mix between Panic Room and You’re Next. The plot of the film centres on the agoraphobic protagonist of Anna. Throughout the course of the film, a trauma from Anna’s past is slowly revealed, which is what lead to her emotionally damaged state. However, she is also not all that she appears to be, which is apparent when she begins to turn the tables on the three invaders in her home.

Probably one of the most stand-out performances in Shut In is by Martin Starr as probably the most sadistic and violent of the three invaders. Despite Starr’s typical association with comedy, and the fact that his character looks like a lumberjack, Perry ends up being a very scary character and it is recommended that this film should be avoided by those who like budgies. Altogether, Shut In is a quite solid home invasion thriller, with some very interesting twists and turns.

Screenings:

• Sunday, October 18, 2015, 4:15 PM – Scotiabank Theatre