‘You can’t outrun a nightmare‘
Bright Hill Road is a 2020 Canadian horror film about a young alcoholic woman whose stay at the titular boarding house becomes a living hell.
Directed and scored by Robert Cuffley (Chokeslam; Ferocious) from a screenplay written by Susie Moloney, the Nevermine Films production stars Siobhan Williams (Van Helsing TV series; Welcome to Marwen; Forsaken), Michael Eklund (The Color Rose; West of Hell; See No Evil 2; Nurse 3D), Agam Darshi (The Possession; The Haunting of Sorority Row; Snakes on a Plane; Final Destination 3) and Sally Cacic. Produced by Carl Sheldon (also production designer) and Colin Sheldon.
Plot:
When a misstep after a workplace shooting puts alcoholic HR manager Marcy (Siobhan Williams) on leave, she heads out to see her sister in California. Halfway there, she stops for a couple of days at the Bright Hill Road Boarding House. The walls close in on the deeply troubled Marcy, as she loses touch with reality and comes face to face with the misdeeds of her sordid past…
Reviews:
“With nods to The Shining and Jacob’s Ladder, Bright Hill Road is an effective psychological horror story, one that reminds us the darkest horrors we have to face are the ones we bury the deepest within ourselves.” Bad Feeling magazine
“Bright Hill Road paints a bleakly intense portrait of one individual’s personal disintegration; the script by Susie Moloney builds its tension one carefully-laid brick at a time, a storytelling framework tautly complimented by Robert Cuffley’s vivid directing. Lengthy stretches of unnerving silence smother the audience with an uncomfortable anxiety as they wait for the next shadowy shoe to drop, and the frenetic explosions of barely constrained cinematic chaos reward the patient onlooker with a kaleidoscopic volley of vigorous, hazy, hallucinogenic imagery.” Critical Blast
“Let’s do a quick rundown on the premise – alcoholic, remote location, spooky hotel, ghosts of the past…. Yeah, this is The Shining. The problem with playing with that playbook is that The Shining is considered one of the best horror films ever made, and Stanley Kubrick is one of the most innovative and talented directors of all time. In comparison, Bright Hill Road shrivels like a corpse in the desert.” Parent Previews
Release:
Bright Hill Road premiered at the Calgary Film Festival on 24th September 2020.
In the USA, Bright Hill Road will be released On-Demand and DVD by Uncork’d Entertainment on January 12th 2021.
Cast and characters:
Siobhan Williams … Marcy
Michael Eklund … Owen
Agam Darshi … Mrs Inman
Sally Cacic … Secretary
Filming locations:
Calgary and Stavely, Alberta, Canada
Technical details:
92 minutes
Trailer:
