By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The filmmaker here transitions from slashers to the supernatural.
Writer/director Stevan Mena, the filmmaker behind the MALEVOLENCE trilogy, has THE RUSE arriving in theaters nationwide May 16 from Seismic Releasing and Mena Films. Madelyn Dundon, Veronica Cartwright, Michael Steger, Michael Bakkensen, T.C. Carter and Nicola Silber star; Oscar-winning makeup artist John Caglione Jr. was one of the producers. The synopsis: “When the in-home caregiver assigned to an elderly patient mysteriously vanishes, Dale [Dundon] is quickly sent as the replacement nurse. She rushes to the remote seaside home, only to find herself in the middle of chaos—forced to deal with an unruly patient, mysterious neighbors, and terrifying supernatural occurrences that seem to plague the home. Is the house haunted? Or is something even more malevolent to blame? As the walls close in, unsure whom she can trust, Dale fears for her life and that of her patient.”
