Atmospheric and artistic low-budget slasher

RELEASED IN 2010 (with a 2006 Copyright) and directed by Josh Stoddard, "Sheltered" is a micro-budget slasher about a group of 20-somethings who seek shelter at a stranger's house during a hurricane, but there's something 'off' about the host and, even more, his brother. Will they survive the night?

If you want to see a multi-million dollar horror film, stay clear. If you wanna see a well-made independent flick made on nickels & dimes check out "Sheltered." The acting and script are surprisingly adept. Gerald Downey & Manoel Hudec standout as the courteous host and his little brother, Joey and Billy, while Stacia Crawford is effective as the main protagonist, Jen. Heather Loschiavo is on hand as an oversexed junkie, Christie.

One of the other actresses, Tricia Small (Denise), wrote and performed several of the cuts on the soundtrack, along with Dee Rock. One of them is a moving acoustic piece, “Salvation Day,” that plays at the 47:12 mark and it's spectacular, even worth the price of admission. The editing during this sequence is artistic and all-around superb. The end credits song, “I Wanna Go Home,” is also worth noting.

You'll notice the TV movie quality of the photography right off the bat but, other than that, the filmmaking is quite professional with imaginative flourishes. Stoddard effectively creates an ambiance of eeriness somehow mixed with beauty and even reverence, which can be observed in the climactic scene of one of the characters standing in the rain with their hands held out to the sky, as if they desperately need cleansed and perhaps re-awoken. It smacks of real life.

I appreciate well-done spare change budget indie flicks like this because you'll never get what they can offer from mainstream cinema. They provide a unique experience.

THE FILM RUNS 83 minutes and was shot in Glendale, Southern California.

GRADE: B