A Hard Place
Creepy creatures, deadly secrets and nonstop chaos make J. Horton's "A Hard Place" a must-watch B-movie blast.
J. Horton is a director whose work I adore watching. His films pack a punch even with their minuscule budgets and I love a filmmaker who can pull that off time and time again. Not to mention his range - low-budget horror movies, documentaries, family-friendly flicks - Horton does it all.
His latest, “A Hard Place,” is another winner. It’s a crazy story about a group of thieves who find themselves caught in the middle of a supernatural Hatfield and McCoy-style feud. It’s weird, it’s gory and it’s so damn fun.
When Zenia (Lynn Lowry) and her crew botch a robbery at a drive-in (gotta love it), they head for the hills to a remote farmhouse. There, they encounter Naja (Ashley Undercutter), who tries to shoo them off. But things go sideways quickly when they’re attacked by the Guardians - a group of plant-like creatures that stalk in broad daylight.
As the chaos builds, more people join the group, including some well-armed locals who help guide them through a never-ending wave of Guardians to “safety” at Henrietta’s (Felissa Rose) house. But once they arrive, Hurt (Kevin Caliber), Fish (Rachel Amanda Bryant), and Candy (Jennifer Michelle Stone) realize they’ve walked into the middle of a supernatural feud between the Guardians and the Caretakers - and escaping might not be an option.
This movie is so much fun. Horton doesn’t rely solely on guns and gore to carry the film. He drops in twists throughout, keeping the audience guessing right up to the end. And what about the creatures? Both the Guardians and the Caretakers look great, with some solid transformation work that adds to the fun.
What really stands out in “A Hard Place” is the size and strength of the cast. With most low-budget films, you get what you pay for - usually a small cast, minimal sets and a whole lot of hoping for the best. But here, Horton keeps adding characters as the story unfolds, and they’re not lightweights.
We get Felissa Rose, Lynn Lowry, Glenn Plummer, Sadie Katz, Rachel Amanda Bryant, Kevin Caliber, Jennifer Michelle Stone, Scott Ward, and Bai Ling. Yes, that Bai Ling. She’s only in it a split second, but you won’t forget her. Everyone does a great job, but it’s Rose, Lowry, and Bryant who are the real standouts.
Something else I love about ultra-low-budget filmmaking is seeing how hard these actors hustle. Take Lowry, for example. She’s 77 years old, and while most folks her age are content with slowing down, she made 10 films in 2023, eight in 2024 and has 42 upcoming projects listed on IMDB. I don’t care who you are - that’s impressive as hell.
Like I said before, I’m a big fan of Horton and he didn’t let me down once again. His next feature is “The Apex Predators Club” and will feature some familiar names. I can’t wait to see it.
“A Hard Place” is a wonderful bit of schlocky B-movie magic that chills, thrills and kills. I highly recommend checking it out.