‘What dies here, stays here’
Stay is a 2021 released American found-footage style horror film about a model and influencer whose new apartment is not what it seems.
Written, directed and co-produced by Brandon Walker (Himalaya; Ghosts of Hiroshima) – making his feature directorial debut – the Ghost Machine Pictures production stars co-producer Ashley Park (Trapdoor; The Headless; Terror Tales), Jesse LeNoir (Sweet Taste of Souls; Project Runway), Dre Davis (Pretty Little Liars) and Simone Posey.
Plot:
Olivia (Ashley Park) is taking the modelling world by storm. A cover girl in the making, Olivia is booking big clients and bringing her YouTube audience along for the ride. With newly earned cash, she moves into a New York Flatiron district loft apartment. Its glossy facade, however, conceals a sinister secret born years before.
Suddenly overwrought, her tenuous grip on reality begins to slip away. Beautiful, yet increasingly unstable, Olivia makes a shocking choice that leads to a battle for her soul…
Capsule review:
Stay pokes fun at the vacuous world of modelling and online influencing before the usual paranormal found-footage tropes take over. Leads Ashley Park and Brit Jesse LeNoir prove to be more agreeable than the usual annoying types in this overplayed sub-genre. However, there is nothing remotely scary in Stay to recommend it to horror fans and most will surely have checked out well before an hour into the running time.
Other reviews:
“While I’m not completely sure how all the parts of the mystery fit together, this is a movie about the horror of the mystery itself, not about its solution. Most importantly, I cared about the main characters, who seem like good people who unwittingly become distracted by fame and attention- seeking.” Horror Variety
Release date:
Ghost Machine Pictures released Stay on Amazon Prime on March 26, 2021.
Cast and characters:
Ashley Park … Olivia Song aka Liv; Jesse LeNoir … Julian aka Jules; Dre Davis … Mia; Simone Posey … Riley; Alisa Levinson … Valya; Brendan Martin … A.J.; Robert Palmer Watkins … Ryan; Daz Crawford … Rasto the Building Supervisor; Adrian Quinonez … Creative Director; Kit DeZolt … Malcolm; Martin Harris … Man; Kadan Rockett … Young Rasto; Marvin Ryan … David; Ana Bergman … Tatiana; Tony Gibbons … Patrick
Technical details:
1 hour 22 minutes
Notes:
Although Stay was released in March 2021, an onscreen camera time of 10/27/2016 suggests that the film has sat on the shelf since then. The cheap-looking apartment where most of the filming took place does not appear to be in New York.
Trailer:
More Brandon Walker movies:
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