Horror Favourites – Robert Mann

Realising they are being secretly video recorded, a wealthy, attractive, New York couple attempt to escape from a secluded AirBnb, all while the owners attempt to kill the husband and hold his wife hostage. But why?

Ryan Davies, 40’s, and his young bride, Mia, 20’s, vacation at a secluded Airbnb to celebrate their first year wedding anniversary. Upon arrival and unbeknownst to the unsuspecting guests, the owners of the Airbnb, Kylo and Aubree, 20’s, secretly begin videotaping their every move, going so far as kidnapping Mia and attempting to kill Ryan.

With a twisted, chilling plot and intense performances from Ryon Thomas (The Missing, Surviving the Cartel), Bryanna McQueeney (Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the five Acts, Thornhill), Gloria Mann (The Cassie Confession, Point Break), Alex Galik (Dante, The Harbinger, Ruin Me), Savannah Whitten (The Grumbling Peapicker, Impossible Monsters), Marco Reese Maldonado (A Killer Romance), Agnes Artych (Edward, “Halston”), R BNB will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Below Robert Mann takes us through his 4 favourite frightening films:

1) The Exorcist – 1973

This is one of my favorite horror films of all time. This film is much more than just a pre-teen throwing up green slime. It goes much deeper than that. The whole theme of faith and belief that, good triumphs over evil, is the basis of many Greek and Shakespearian plays, and is at the emotional forefront here.
In addition, there is the story of a mother’s love or as some would say, unconditional love, a mother has for her child. We as audience members are witness to this not only in the main characters, but also the mother/son relationship of the priest and his mother.

How evil will try to strike at the core of our emotions and destroy that relationship and thus destroy us. That is the glue and dramatic force that drives this film from beginning to end.

In addition, the bizarre visual effects are both haunting and memorable. Who will ever forget Regan’s head turning 360 degrees? Or her climbing upside down and backwards up the stairs? Or standing alone peeing as her mother watches in horror?

But in the end, the emotional glue still comes down to our faith in our creator and that good will triumph over evil. With our unwavering belief in God, even in times of great fear and near death, he will protect us from the throws of the most evil of beings, thus allowing humanity to believe in something more powerful than ourselves.

2) The Others – 2001

Nicole Kidman’s finest acting performance on celluloid, period. Her emotional, painful, guilt ridden soliloquy at the end of the film alone is worth the price of admission. The realization that she killed her children out of fear and love is gut-wrenching and horrific.

The story-line is filled with lots of twists and turns that keeps the audience intrigued from beginning to end. What’s going on in this house? Are the children imagining what they are seeing? Is this house haunted or is someone else trying to scare them into leaving? The final twist at the end is a surprise that you will not see coming I promise you. It’s that good.

The look and location of the film with its gray skies, drab colors and stark trees sets the tenor of what is to come. The only warmth the audience receives is from the orange glow of candlelight that reflects the innocence and vulnerability of the children’s faces.

Their performances, along with the house servants, create a mesmerizing aura which draws us deeper and deeper into a strange world where the presence of light is more dangerous than evil ghosts. And it’s because of these wonderful, realistic and relatable performances that we are emotionally attached from the first frame to the last.

3) Psycho – 1960

Alfred Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece. The musical score alone is enough to make audiences

feel creeped out and jump from their seats.

Like most wonderfully crafted thriller/horror films, Psycho relies on the psychological deviance from one’s own obsessive thoughts to create horror. It is from this premise that Norman Bates acts of terror are propelled forward.

The emotional conflict of a boy who falls in love with a girl but cannot escape the obsessive and controlling love of his mother is the geneses of Norman’s evilness. That conflict eventually leads to Norman killing his mother in an attempt to rid himself of her dominance.

But the evil act has an opposite effect. Overcome with guilt, Norman continues to keep her corpse in an effort to keep her alive and extract himself from this horrible act of murdering his mother.

Hitchcock is a master at weaving a strong story with unrelenting emotional visual images. Having the film shot in black and white only magnifies the emotional carnage that lays wreckage with each cinematic frame. With Hitchcock, it’s also what is not seen that is just as powerful as what is seen. He leaves the audience to fill in the blanks as he knows the audience’s mind is more powerful than its eyes.

The famous shower scene is a perfect example as dozens and dozens of knife stabs into its victim are never seen. The film skillfully cuts away just as the knife is about to penetrate flesh, leaving the audience to “feel” and not “see” the horror. This, in addition with the disturbing staccato slashing of violins and cellos, creates a world of relentless hopeless manic fright! And nobody does fright as well as Alfred Hitchcock.

4) Scream – 1996

Like Hitchcock Wes Craven knows how to use what is not seen to his horrific advantage. The whole premise of Scream (the original) is trying to figure out who is obsessing with Sidney and what is about to happen, not necessary what is happening. Although, there are plenty of unexpected scares and jumps along the way.

Again, the filmmaker is playing not only the protagonist’s mind, but also the audiences’. We can relate. Who hasn’t been in their home alone and begin to feel creeped out by a phone ringing or someone not answering on the other end? Craven turns this disturbing and frightening experience up to “11.” (This is Spinal Tap reference for those with didn’t see the movie) And it pays off.

In addition to the psychological aspect of this film, the visual impact is compounded by a very frightening Halloween mask the killer wears. This has to be one of the most innovative, classical and haunting horror masks of all time. Not only is it visually frightening, it also plays on the psyche of the audience. With its open mouth, distorted eyes, porcelain white face, it is both bizarre and horrific.

The twist or reveal at the conclusion of the movie works extremely well too. We, the audience, take the bait hook, line and sinker only to discover we have been duped, but in a most horrific and satisfying fun way.”

R BNB is available now on TVOD Cable & Satellite on iN Demand, Direct TV, Dish, & Vubiquity.