Gut is a 2012 American horror film written, produced and directed by Elias (Alone; Dark). It stars Jason Vail (Paranormal Captivity; Hunters; Crinoline Head 2: Dorchester’s Revenge), Nicholas Wilder and Sarah Schoofs.
Something is missing in Tom’s life. Every day he goes through the motions, becoming increasingly detached from those around him. His best friend Dan thinks he has the answer, a mysterious video he’s got to see to believe.
What Dan shows him leaves Tom unsettled, flooding his mind with disturbing images and desires, and binding the two friends together with its ugly secret. As he tries desperately to forget what he saw, Tom’s mounting feelings of guilt and disillusionment quickly give way to paranoia and fear.
One video soon follows another and another, blurring the line between reality and voyeuristic fascination, and threatening to dismantle everything around them.
Reviews:
“Don’t miss Gut; this is one of the most powerful films I’ve seen in quite some time, and the ending is going to blow you away. The ending is brutal, not in a graphic way, but in a “holy shit, I was holding my breath for the last ten minutes” way.” Scott Shoyer, Anything Horror
“Gut is the quietest, most introspective film about snuff films you will ever see. It is character driven and has layers of subtle complexity. That quietness and subtly eventually undermines the story, but I would still recommend this for a watch. Arrow in the Head
“Gut had pretty good potential from the beginning but fails to follow through with that until the end … These guys know how to tell a story with a camera… they just kind of need to work on the story more for next time.” The Girl Who Loves Horror
“Maybe giving more weight to the conclusion of the story instead of just randomly putting these characters in convenient situations for the final act … You’ll find much better examples of bleak independent horror films out there but, I do respect Gut for at least trying something different. You can do much worse these days.” Film Deviant
” … while not perfect Gut is a solid intelligently complex character-driven piece that raises questions with its sub-text about manhood and sexual fantasies and might force male viewers to question their own masculinity and desires. This is well worthy of your time as it is a real punch to the “gut” Cinematic Shocks
“The snuff films are deliberately shot with carefully focused framing—the one scene inside the murderer’s lair with a camera suspended above his victim proving a particularly chilling moment. We invest in Tom and Dan’s lives because of this direct style, the lack of superfluous information letting us not be confused or distracted from the central plot line.” Jared Mobarark
Image sources: Anything Horror
