horror, comedy, adventure | USA | 2023 World premiere: Splat!FilmFest
OUTCASTS HIT THE ROAD IN A GRUESOME TOUR OF THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS
Trey is not the biggest fan of orange. He used to sport the color day in and day out during his stay in the state prison, and he didn’t find the hue particularly appealing. Upon regaining his freedom, Trey vows never to end up behind bars again. Easier said than done. Trey is a proud representative of the juggalo community – fans of niche, horrorcore rap artists. He is also a rapper by passion and an outcast who has spent his whole life fighting the system, just like his best buddy, Silas. Together, the two outsiders decide to attend a juggalo gathering in search of kindred spirits. But right from the get-go, the moment they hop into the car, everything goes wrong. And then it gets even worse. What promised to be a pleasant road trip quickly spirals into a gruesome journey to hell, at the heart of which is the American wilderness, with its trailer parks, scumbags, and ever-present misery. But fear not: “Off Ramp” also features a bunch of bloodthirsty occult rednecks, satanic rituals, gore, severed limbs, and some ghost summoning for good measure.
“Off Ramp” gives the audience an insight into a community that very few Polish people have heard of. The festival that Trey and Silas are talking about is not some lousy camping trip but a huge annual event that every year draws a crowd of up to 100,000 participants from all over the world. The representatives of this community paint their faces to resemble clowns and openly speak out against social inequality. Most of its representatives come from rural North America.
“Off Ramp” also brilliantly draws from its horror predecessors such as “The Shining,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and “The Hills Have Eyes.” The beating heart of the film, however, is its duo of charismatic protagonists – perhaps not particularly intelligent, but instantly likable. It’s hard not to root for the two slackers who just want to feel the sense of belonging. Even at a cost of their lives.
Nathan Tape, the director behind “Off Ramp”, has so far mainly worked on music videos, an influence that is distinctly evident in his new project. Despite its subject matter, “Off Ramp” is aesthetically sophisticated and, at times, almost poetic in its imagery. Prior to “Off Ramp”, Tape told a similar story through a short movie with the same title. The lead characters played by Jon Oswald and Scott Turner Schofield have exceptional on-screen chemistry, but the audience will also be mesmerized by the terrifying Jared Bankens portraying the wheelchair-bound Scarecrow. With the subtlest of expressions, Bankens is able to conjure a haunting presence that will keep you up all night long after the credits roll.
director: Nathan Tape screenwriter: Nathan Tape, Tim Cairo photography: Jon Oswald, Scott Turner Schofield, Jared Bankens, Ashley B. Smith editor: Bron Moyi music: Rick Nelson, Anthony Douglas Sanners duration: Brandon Kotfila language: English subtitles: Polish duration: 1h 31min recommended age: 18+
