‘Love hurts’
It Cuts Deep is a 2020 American dark comedy horror film about a young couple whose Christmas vacation is threatened by a third party.
Directed by Nicholas Payne Santos – making his feature debut – the 88/90-BullMoose Pictures production stars Quinn Jackson, Charles Gould and John Anderson.
Plot:
While on Christmas vacation, a young couple contemplates their future together. Ashley is interested in getting married and having kids which terrifies Sam. When the more attractive and paternal Nolan enters the picture, Sam’s life spirals out of control as Ashley questions their relationship. Chaos reigns as Sam desperately clings onto Ashley while fending off the threatening Nolan…
Reviews:
” …paranoia ensues with Sam constantly suspicious of this new person in their lives. We also gets hints at a wider plot which hurtles us towards a dark and shocking conclusion. It Cuts Deep starts as more of a mystery thriller before becoming and out and out slasher in its brutal final reel.” Bloody Flicks
“It Cuts Deep’s oddball identity could be a tonal thing that writer/director Nicholas Payne Santos purposefully blueprinted. It could also be an accidental outcome of independent actors and freshmen filmmakers fumbling with the craft. Viewers are going to see it both ways as It Cuts Deep is very much a “your mileage may vary” movie.” Culture Crypt
“Nicholas Santos is the writer and director of It Cuts Deep. This is his film debut and while I get a clear idea of his intent, I don’t feel it works entirely well. Then again, I really did enjoy parts of this movie and found both Quinn Jackson and John Anderson to deliver performances that continuously lifted the movie.” Heaven of Horror
“Santos has a wonderful sense of “outsider” entertainment and it is on full display in It Cuts Deep. His script is as disquieting in the little moments as it is in its glorious and intense finish. This is a film made by, and for, low budget genre enthusiasts who don’t want cookie-cutter narratives. It also allows the viewer into the headspace of its three leads…” Killer Horror Critic
” …a terrific mix of funny and dark, with top class acting and some delightful script work […] It’s a film that is very easy to recommend, and one I think manages to do a lot in its fairly short 75 minutes. A very enjoyable, curious and contemporary dark comedy that injects elements of horror and psycho-thriller to keep things tantalising.” Nerdly
“Sam’s unraveling paranoia about the ever-present Nolan infects It Cuts Deep like a sickness, bringing darkness to everything – and that tension between comedy and horror becomes the beating heart of writer/director Nicholas Santos’ feature debut […] This is smart low-budget horror with a real core of character-driven emotional honesty shining through its psychothriller trappings.” Projected Figures
” …has plenty of comedic potential, but it stumbles with less-than-capable acting from Gould. He rarely nails a punchline, and most of his dialogue comes off as a string of badly improvised jokes. The real failure is with Santos, though. It’s his job to write funnier, more natural dialogue, but also to extract a more confident performance from Gould. Similar, Anderson’s Nolan is too goofy to ever legitimately be threatening.” Tilt
Release:
In the USA, It Cuts Deep was released by Dark Sky Films theatrically and on VOD and Digital platforms on November 13th 2020.
Cast and characters:
Quinn Jackson … Ashley
Charles Gould … Sam
John Anderson … Nolan
Alison Fraser … Mom
Chloe Roe … Girl
Jackson Quinn Gray … Boy
Jason Savio … Cook
Luke Vose … Lyle
Lea Ostner … Lauren
Jane Vose … Baby
Joseph Santos … Dad
John McNamara … Lenny
Christopher Kazarian … Father
Ben Elder … Larry
Filming locations:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Technical details:
77 minutes
Trailer:
