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Cast: Tiffany Shepis, Kurt Kubicek, Noelle Wheeler, Ron Bowen, Seth Gandrud
Two young lovers seeking a weekend getaway stumble into a deadly ambush and must fight for their lives against a sinister cult in this exciting thriller from writer-director David M. Quiroz, Jr. After surviving a harrowing ambush in which his girlfriend, Selene, was abducted, college senior Jesse decides to try to rescue her rather than wait for help to arrive, leading to a series of increasingly brutal encounters with a team of enforces for a cult dwelling in the mountains of northern Arizona. Selene waits for him in the confines of the cult's lascivious leader, desperately clinging to the promises that Jesse has made to her, and to the belief that he would never abandon her. As Jesse is forced to employ increasingly vicious methods to be reunited with her, he loses himself in his memories of their relationship, remembering why she is so important to him, and why he's willing to do whatever it takes to be reunited with him. . . no matter what the cost. This brutal story of love, commitment and survival features Tiffany Shepis, The Princess of Scream (Nightmare Man, Dark Reel, Nymphia), and villains inspired by current events.
The story is straight forward, a young couple decide to get away from it all and go on a camping trip but things go wrong when they are ambushed and Selene is taken. Sounds like a lot of other "survival" films you might of seen before but as far as Independent cinema goes this one has a lot more going for it than many of the others. The story does appear simple like I said before but there is a bit more to this one, the film's use of flashbacks to show just how this young couple met and some of their relationship obstacles they had to work around before you seen them driving to their camping destination is a great addition to the story, it gives you a chance to get to know the characters a little more and by doing so you care for them more. The cult that kidnaps Selene are interesting and creepy in their behavior, it provides a nice unsettling feeling that you get which is important to help build on the tension and suspense of it all. There is not a lot of gore in the film but there are a few killings that display some blood but mostly this is a thriller that offers up the question "just how far would you go for someone"? This is a young man that could of easily took off and ran to the police hoping to get their help but by that time it might of been too late to save his girlfriend. Jesse decides to use everything he has at his disposal to try and get Selene back at any cost and you not only feel for him but root him on as well. As far as Independent cinema goes the acting was pretty good over-all, Noelle Wheeler who plays Selene does a terrific job, this young lady is as beautiful as she is talented and I see a bright future ahead of her. The rest of the leads are impressive as well including Kurt Kubicek who plays Jesse, him and Noelle show great chemistry together and that was important to the over-all story. Also I cannot forget to mention that the "Scream Queen" herself, Tiffany Shepis has a nice role in the film and she always brings along something special in everything she is in. Promise is a lot like other films including, "Texas Chainsaw" but it brings to the table some original ideas as well as a good cast and a riveting story that manages to thrill till the very end. The ending is another thing I liked a lot about the movie, I am not going to give it away here but I can say I liked the realistic feel it had instead of some crazy ending that would of felt empty. A solid finish to an entertaining thriller that delivers on everything it promises. You can order Promise on DVD HERE
Released by R2 Films Llc
*** 1/2 Out Of *****