Peripheral, The (2015)
Scott Hallam
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Starring Lynn Lowry, Randy Franks
Written and directed by JT Seaton
Horror favorite Lynn Lowry appears as the level-headed Dr. Joanne Redding in The Peripheral, a neat little short that runs just over 10 minutes long. Seated alone and reviewing tape from one of her psychological patients, Dr. Redding suddenly gets an unexpected visitor named Kenny that brings her a terrifying story. Kenny is seeing monsters in the periphery of his vision. These monsters are coming for him, but they disappear when he looks directly at them. What’s a doctor to do?
The Peripheral is straightforward. Writer/director JT Seaton comes at the audience with a bit of tension right of the bat and gradually turns the screws as the short rolls on. The story is a simple one. It’s a monster movie and doesn’t try to be anything else. The twist is the monsters only appear on the edge of the victim’s vision (somewhat reminiscent of a particularly frightening episode of “Amazing Stories” decades ago that featured a killer who could only be seen in mirrors) presumably until it’s too late, and then there they are, right in your face all teeth and claws.
Lowry gives us her usual fantastic performance. The woman is a pro. She has her own signature delivery and always seems to masterfully add to the tension of a film, easing us into the story until a thrilling climax. Equally as effective is Lowry’s co-star, Randy Franks, who plays Kenny. Franks needs to convince us that Kenny is at the end of his rope from dealing with the creatures he’s seeing. He needs to convey, trepidation, fear and eventually pure terror…and he does so nicely.
Aside from Lowry and Franks, the other entity on the screen, the aforementioned monster, was brought to life by Ron Cole. Cole used the beloved art of stop-motion animation to haunt The Peripheral and delivers a satisfactory scare to a somewhat predictable conclusion.
Currently making its festival rounds, The Peripheral is well deserving of a look. Lowry is always worth the price of admission herself and paired with Franks, the duo do a quality job bringing the story to life. Seaton penned a serviceable story and directed stealthily, adding some interesting angles and unique looks at the good doctor and her patient. Take a look at The Peripheral, you’ll like what you see…until it kills you.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
