By. DR. BENNY GRAVES
Starring Brian Blair, India Rose and Hans Wittrock
Written and directed by Anthony Moran
Independent American Pictures Detroit
A stand of trees shot through with crimson from a setting autumn sun. Questing fog, drifting into the overgrown alley between ramshackle homes. Detroit is haunted, but for those seeking shelter in LET US IN!, the ghosts of the past are the least of their problems. For his second feature, Anthony Moran takes us to the Motor City for a fusion of Romero-esque gloom and bikersploitation. Slip that tab on your tongue and strap on your leathers, this is going to be a trip.
Chris (Hans Wittrock) and Sarah (India Rose) are two strangers brought together by a state of emergency. Sarah picks up Chris after his car breaks down, and the two are ultimately forced to seek shelter. The home they find belongs to Kevin (Kevin Tates), who is keeping his sick girlfriend in the basement. You see, Kevin’s girlfriend is the victim of the virus that brought on this state of emergency. She’s turning into something unspeakable, something that should be kept locked in the darkness. Unbeknownst to the three, there are also drugs hidden in the house that belong to a biker gang known as Satan’s Keys. As it turns out, the Keys have chosen this night to collect their property, and they come bearing chaos.
It’s impossible to hate a movie that drips with so much genre love. With LET US IN!, Moran slowly guides us through desolated streets and empty fields, evoking the isolation of early George Romero. Once our survivors find a home, things shift to the hyperviolent. The combination of infected and the brutal bikers makes for a Frankenstein of 1970s exploitation and Italo-zombie grue. Influences abound, from the biker bastards (Satan’s Sadists, Werewolves on Wheels) to the nature of their undoing (Last House On The Left), but the execution is far from a carbon copy. Moran has a strong cinematic eye, and LET US IN! is a promising step in what I hope is a prolific horror future. You can scoop the VHS and DVD directly from the fine folks at Independent American Pictures. The follow-up, The Evil 1%,, is currently getting its finishing touches, and I for one am looking forward to more blasphemy from Motown.
Death To False Horror,
Dr. Benny Graves
