There’s a reason they’re called the “seven deadly sins.” Nick Psinakis and Kevin Ignatius’ horror, Cheat, shows us why lust is the most deadly of them all.
Maeve (Corin Clay) is a young college student recently offered an art scholarship at a small Pennsylvania college. As part of the prize, she gets to stay at the luxurious mansion of the scholarship’s benefactor, Charlie Walker (Michael Thyer), and his wife, who is away dealing with her mental health struggles.
Maeve’s gratitude at dinner quickly moves to an innocent kiss with Charlie, which leads to a restless night and ends with Maeve and Charlie spending the night together. The following day, the two feel a great deal of remorse, particularly Charlie, who just cheated on his sick wife. The two agree to keep their affair quiet.
Unbeknownst to Maeve and Charlie, they are not the only ones cheating on their spouses and partners in town. The rampant infidelity awakens the spirit of Clara Miller (April Clark)—a young woman who lived in the town when it was established over 200 years ago. Her devoutly religious father murdered her after being caught in an affair with a married man. Now, a reanimated Clara goes on a murder spree, exacting judgment by killing the unfaithful. It’s up to Charlie and Maeve to stop her.
“…a reanimated Clara goes on a murder spree, exacting judgment by killing the unfaithful.”
Cheat is an especially brutal story of revenge, where Clara’s victims experience incredibly bloody emissions from their nether regions before their demise. Now add an equally haunting and decaying Clara, and Cheat becomes a delightful B-horror flick. Though there are times when you wish filmmakers Nick Psinakis and Kevin Ignatius could have scrapped together an additional hundred grand or two to elevate the gore and horror, these scrappy filmmakers get the scary beats on a budget.
In Cheat, Psinakis and Ignatius play right into their love of horror lore. The film opens with Clara’s death long ago and moves to the present to create a sympathetic protagonist in Maeve with the revelation of Clara’s vengeful spirit. Now, it’s a matter of how to defeat an undefeatable spirit. The ending is satisfying.
Cheat is the third feature film for Nick Psinakis and Kevin Ignatius. I reviewed their first film, My Best Friend’s Famous, for which I have a bare recommendation. Now, two features later, their evolution as filmmakers is undeniable. In Cheat, the story is more straightforward but solid. They carry us beautifully through the eyes of Maeve and reveal the right amount of information about her and Clara from start to finish. Again, Cheat would have gone straight over the top with more disgusting gore, pushed the limits of body horror, and expanded Clara’s backstory, which would have been perfect for a story about adultery.
Cheat delivers an impressively dark and captivating tale of betrayal, blood, and brutal consequences. On their third feature outing, Psinakis and Ignatius prove they’re hitting their stride, crafting a spine-tingling tale—making Cheat a bloody good time for indie horror fans.
"…lust is the most deadly of them all..."
