Four decades after its’ original release, Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel THE SHINING continues to provide the inspiration and start-off point for anybody who wishes to set their supernatural horror films in a hotel location.
The brand-new psychological drama EXIT 0 , written and directed by E.B. Hughes, provides yet another example of the sort of film that Kubrick attempted to do back then which at the time of its’ original release was disowned by King because of the lack of faith in his own material (which led to him doing his own adaptation with mixed results).
Troubled couple Billy (Gabe Fazio) and Lisa (Augie Duke) are going through a phase in their relationship. Billy decides to bring Lisa back to a place that was the setting for a traumatic childhood experience that has continued to dog him right through til his adult life.
After an incident at a roadside latrine, where Billy is questioning the presence of a car that was parked in the parking lot, disputed by Lisa, they move on and head to their hotel, the Doctor’s Inn, which is situated in a bay-side town. Room 2 is their place of choice.
Whilst Lisa takes a shower, Billy discovers a video cassette tape, which appears to contain a gruesome incident – setting in motion a chain of events and thought that could have a lasting effect on a troubled soul – and a troubled relationship. A local detective who gets involved is also unconvinced by Billy’s concerns, particularly when the tape doesn’t appear to have anything on it when he plays it……
EXIT 0 follows a traditional psychological hotel drama structure in the manner of THE SHINING and at times is a slow-burner. It is a little predictable and by-the-numbers, which will have horror fans in need for scares and moments that helped to make Jack Nicholson’s performance one of the greatest of the horror genre as critics grew to love.
And yet….
There is actually a rather clever pay-off at the end of the film that flips the expectation on its’ head, which leans the film towards a far more revealing psychological perspective for the characters and less of a haunted slasher type, which the film seemingly starts out as.
If you are prepared to stick with it and allow a bit more flexibility in what the film represents, then EXIT 0 will be a bit more satisfying to behold. Good central performances from Fazio and Duke are above-average for this type of yarn.
