Starry Eyes – Blu-ray review
Directors: Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer
Cast: Alex Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Noah Segan
By Brian M. Sammons
Hollywood is evil. Tinsel Town will chew up your dreams, spit them out, and laugh at you while it does it. If you do make it in La La Land, you’ll have to outright sell your soul to do so, and what will be left of you will be nothing like the person you were when you first came to town. Yes, we all know the clichés, and how by and large they’re often right, but starting with a familiar premise is not a bad thing when it comes to movie making, as long as you tell a good story. I mean, how many things start with ‘boy meets girl’ and go on from there? So that’s how the new horror movie, Starry Eyes, starts off; with a simple premise that has been told before, does if manage to tell a good story from there, or is another B Movie only fit for the drive-inns and grindhouses? Well buy your ticket, get some popcorn, and let’s find out.
This story follows Sarah, a young Hollywood hopefully, going to audition after audition, while making ends meet by working as a Hooters waitress. She has a roommate and a small clutch of friends, who are also all trying to get their own slice of that Hollywood dream. And if they have to step all over their “friends” to do it, well this is Hollywood, babe. Well one day Sarah blows an audition, so she has a fit in the ladies room, pulling her hair, slamming herself in the walls of the stall, etc. One of the people casting the film sees that and offers her a second chance to audition, but only if she shows them her real self. I.e. have another fit for them. After some coaching, Sarah pulls it off, and so she gets invited to meet the producer.
The big boss turns out to be every skivvy Hollywood stereotype rolled into one, including a pentagram-wearing Satanist. He asks Sarah how far she’s willing to go to make it in the movies, and he’s talking about more than the old casting couch, although he is also talking about that too. He asks her is she’s willing to be reborn, and while she, at first, rejects her offer, after a few more days of daily drudgery, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to become a star. Whatever. It. Takes.
Starry Eyes starts off as sort of a day in the life movie of a young, struggling actress, and it stays that way for quite some time. So some ADD horror fans expecting an out and out horror movie from the start might be disappointed with the first half of this film. That said, never once is this movie bad, never once did it ever lose my interest. That’s because the characters are exceptionally well written and acted, which is something many other fright flicks should strive for. The end result is believable characters are actually care for, and therefore care what happens to them. So when the bad stuff, the real horror stuff, starts happened, it actually means something. Case in point, there is a character in this movie that is the stereotypical bitch you find in any horror movie, but once things get real and bloody, she drops her attitude and has a moment of being a real person. The ultimate tragedy of it is that it happens right before more bad things happen, but that little bit of character business was wonderful, and far better than most cardboard characters in the vast majority of horror films made today. Starry Eyes is full of great little moments like that, but fear not gorehounds, once the red stuff starts flowing, it is an amazing, messy sight to behold.
So in addition to being a great movie, the new Blu-ray from Dark Sky Films comes with a few notable extras on the disc. First and foremost is a commentary track with writer/directors Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch and producer Travis Stevens. There is a very short featurette about the music of the movie, some audition footage with star Alex Essoe, a behind the scenes photo gallery, a collection of deleted scenes, and a trailer.
I really loved this movie and it easily makes my Top 10 Horror Movies of 2014 list. While the plot isn’t all that original, the performances are well done, the characters always feel real and believable, it is full of memorable shots and scenes, and when the violence kicks off, it really kicks off. It’s got almost an old school Satanic Panic kind of feel to it at times, and I’m always up for more of that. If you are too, then give Starry Eyes a watch, because I’m betting you’ll like it. I sure did, and it gets a high recommendation from me.
