‘She’s a danger to herself’
Let Her Out is a 2016 Canadian horror film directed by Cody Calahan (director of Antisocial, co-writer of The Drownsman and Bed of the Dead), based on a screenplay by Adam Seybold (also an actor in The Chair; Exit Humanity; Hellmouth). The film was produced by Black Fawn Films in association with Breakthrough Entertainment. Alanna LeVierge, Nina Kiri and Adam Christie star.
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Helen, a bike courier, suffers a traumatic accident. As she recovers, she begins to experience strange episodic-blackouts, hallucinations, and night terrors – that lead her to discover that she has a tumour, a benign growth that is the remnants of a “vanishing twin” absorbed in utero.
Over time, the tumour manifests itself as the dark and demented version of a stranger. As Helen’s emotional and psychological state begins to deteriorate further and further, she begins to act out in psychotic episodes that are influenced by her evil twin – making her a danger to herself and her best friend, Molly…
Reviews:
” … tells an interesting story which combines horror and psychological thriller while boasting some great, and gruesome, visuals. LeVierge and Kiri’s dynamic is believable and relatable, but it is LeVierge who steals the movie, developing Helen’s identity crisis in a scary and emotional manner. That and the direction of Calahan and his team make Let Her Out a must-see flick for horror fans.” Flickering Myth
“… it’s an effectively unsettling and moody film with a strong central premise and an organic and meticulously crafted structure that gradually closes in around the viewer. The emotion inherent in the story may go frustratingly unexplored, but the film holds together with striking visuals and a quiet intimacy that permeates even through the scenes of frenzied horror.” Scream magazine
“Sadly nowhere near as sexy or weird as the poster art up there promises, Let Her Out starts off with a memorably sleazy prologue but doesn’t go anywhere much at all after that, other than giving us a dull retread of The Dark Half … Some splatter and a semi-transformation scene at the end are all too little, too late, and the characterisation here is strictly one note as well. Shame.” House of Mortal Cinema
“It’s a female twist on Jekyll-and-Hyde, drawing a little on the recent run of girlie body horror (Bite, Contracted) but more interested in the fractured psyche than the twisted body (though LeVierge is an admirable contortionist) until a Barkerish turn in an inevitable finale which finds Helen trying to rid herself of the monster within in the most literal manner imaginable.” The Kim Newman Web Site
“Carrying the film, LeVierge’s performance is strong throughout. She is tasked with changing her personality, and remaining strong while she fights an enemy she can seemingly do nothing about. It’s challenging, and makes Helen a protagonist worth rooting for, something many horror films don’t bother with these days as they’d rather churn out a stream of victims.” The Hollywood News
“Thankfully Calahan’s sense of style is so very rich that we forgive the film its spoken stumbles. Every second of this thing is sensual. There’s an obvious influence of Michael Mann and Nicolas Winding Refn in the saturated neons and deep blacks and fetishized imagery, but having that sheen draped over the after-hours Toronto streets feels fresh and dangerous. The film gets better as it goes along too…” Coming Soon
“While the concept is by far from original and is essentially somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde story, Let Her Out is atmospheric, suspenseful and character driven. It has something for those who enjoy horror that seeps under the skin and those who love blood and gore.” Love Horror
Main cast:
- Alanna LeVierge
- Nina Kiri (Supernatural TV series; The Haunted House on Kirby Road)
- Adam Christie (Antisocial)
- Kate Fenton (Hellmouth)
- Michael Lipka (Tear Us Apart)
- Brooke Henderson (Blood Theatre)
- Glen Reid
- Deborah Jayne Reilly Smith
- Kyle Hytonen
- Paul McGinnis
- Eric Picard
Filming locations:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Release:
The film had its worldwide premiere in London on 25 August 2016 at the Horror Channel FrightFest.
Let Her Out was released on DVD by British Precision Pictures on 5 June 2017.
