Stuck

Though infused with styleless visuals and an overtly low-budget sensibility, Stuck quickly establishes itself as a brutal, thoroughly engaging horror effort from director Stuart Gordon. Mena Suvari stars as Brandi, a kind and conscientious retirement-home caregiver who accidentally strikes a homeless man (Stephen Rea’s Tom) while driving home from a party. Rather than call the police, Brandi, panic-stricken and scared, instead decides to park her car in her garage and bide her time until Tom (who’s now lodged in the front windshield) dies from his extensive injuries. Gordon, working from John Strysik’s screenplay, does a nice job of transforming both Brandi and Tom into fully-fleshed out characters, with Tom’s first-act progression from down-on-his-luck businessman to penniless hobo particularly intriguing and well done. Of course, it’s ultimately in the crowd-pleasing instances of over-the-top gore that Stuck establishes itself as an instant classic – with Gordon offering up a number of memorable and downright exhilarating kill sequences (including the most indelible use of a pen as a weapon since Casino). The bottom line is that Stuck is just as entertaining (if not more so) than some of Gordon’s previous horror efforts, including 1985’s Re-Animator and 2003’s King of the Ants, and the film is undoubtedly the most flat-out fun entry within this year’s Midnight Madness program.

***1/2 out of ****