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Image and video hosting by TinyPic Cast: Sarah Livingston Evans, Jared Edwards, Anna-Marie Wayne, Nancy P. Corbo, Edward Gusts

Director: Robert Beaucage

Genre: Gothic Romance/Horror/Fantasy

Year: 2010

Rating: NR

After skidding off the road in the dead of night, four friends find themselves lost in the forest and tangled in a twisted love story. As they are each picked off one by one by a bizarre beast it becomes clear that none of them will make it out of this forest alive; unless the one the monster so desires is left behind. Will they stick together and find their way out of the grips of this love sick monster or will they turn on each other and perish in this dark fairytale.

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I was looking forward to this one after watching the trailer for it. The film is compared to "Beauty and The Beast" and I suppose that is a fair comparison but lets not make it sound as if it is a rip-off because Spike brings a lot of it's own ideas to the table here. You can certainly call it a horror since it does have some carnage and even some creepy moments but mainly it is a story about love, the love you knew you couldn't have but yearned for. Love is where the film's heart really is but it's everything else about the film that makes it special. The story is about four friends who wreak their car and find themselves lost in the forest only to be attacked by some sort of beast and but when the girl runs off to try and find where this monster took him she is bitten by a rattle snake and wakes tied up by this thing, she soon learns it is not a thing at all but a man, a deformed man she once knew who her father chased off because he was afraid the man would hurt his daughter. But true love never dies and this is the moment the man has been waiting for, to finally have the one that he loves with him hopefully forever. I have already said too much about the story, Spike is the winner of Best Fantasy film at Shriekfest and for good reason. You are drawn into the story and are never let go till the bitter end. The feel of the film, shot at night in the woods and the man/beast really sets the mood and it creates a gothic atmosphere that is second to none. This is one of those stories you hope has some sort of happy ending to it but you know deep inside nothing good can come from what has already transpired. Call it what you want but Spike is a film that breaths new life into not only the genre but Independent cinema in general. You can talk about it all you want but the acting, the Angeles National Forest where it was shot and the effects used to create this deformed man are all parts of a film that needs to seen to really appreciate. Writer/Director, Robert Beaucage does a terrific job at telling the tale while keeping the viewer captivated by what is happening. This is one director I hope to see more work from in the very near future. Spike is one of those gems that will have you telling your friends and family about. We have all felt love before but Spike takes that theme and creates a fairy tale that has you hooked till the very end. I cannot recommend picking this up enough when it comes out on DVD August 3rd. Be sure to pick Spike up and be as mesmerized as I was.

Released by Maverick Entertainment.

***** Out Of *****