Stuck

I have so many films to see, I have to cram them in at midnight as well!

My first foray into the Midnight Madness programme was with Stuart Gordon’s “Stuck.”

Based on the real-life story from a few years back that you might recall, hospice care worker Brandi (Mena Suvari) hits a down on his luck, newly evicted and out-of-work Tom (Stephen Rea) with her car. To her horror (and his) he becomes lodged in the windshield of the car. Panicked and high on drugs, she drives home and parks her car in the garage overnight, leaving her unfortunate victim stuck. Afriad of the consequences, she takes matters into her own hands, enlisting her boyfriend to help her get rid of this poor man in the windshield, who refuses to die.

A horrifying tale because of the graphic true nature of the crime, “Stuck” straddles B-movie elements of an original concept. I’m surprised this hasn’t been brought to the big screen before. Anyone who is familiar with Stuart Gordon’s horror films knows immeadiately that you’re in for a mix of sex, blood, and laughs (check out “Dagon” for a hilariously good time). Mena Suvari seems to have been out of the spotlight after her turn in “American Beauty” and “Stuck” is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of cinema, but she screams her lungs out as the scared girl you both hate and empathize with. Stephen Rea, the only veteran actor in the film does a painfully good job as the man in the windshield. Sure, the film is meant to be both laughed at and for you to laugh along with as proven by the racous reaction for the crowd. Not a good film, but not really meant to be either, “Stuck” is a fun way to spend 90 minutes.

During the Q&A, the cast and director made comparisons between the true story and their filmed version. Aside from the film’s ending, it is pretty much true to the story, including the fact that the real Brandi was a health care worker. The cast made the most of their desolate shooting schedule in New Brunswick in the Fall, of which the stark atomosphere added to the film.

Be prepared for lots of blood and some horrifying scenes that will make you cringe, but it’s hard to look away.