LearX

Rogelio Rios is the producer, editor, director of photography, writer, director, and star of LearX. Rios is David, a well-mannered, though nervous, middle-aged man who is the latest person to undertake the 24-hour basement challenge. The catch is that he is not in his basement with all the amenities of home and is simply cut off from social media and friends. No, the benefactor of the challenge requires all participants to enter the house of infamous murderer LearX. If someone stays in the house for 24 hours, they will win $100,000, but no one has managed to do so yet. David is confident in his chances, believing the failed participants simply scared themselves too much.

Part of the challenge’s requirements is that participants record themselves in the basement. Once David turns on the camera, not much happens… at first. But soon doors are opening and closing by themselves, and laundry vanishes then reappears. As day gives way to night, David claims to hear someone whispering. Is all this just in his head, or is someone or something attempting to make contact for good or ill?

A fixed camera records the unsettling atmosphere of the basement in LearX.

“…undertake the 24-hour basement challenge…[in] the house of infamous murderer LearX.”

LearX is the very definition of a slow burn. As David nervously stammers his way through the rules, nothing happens. As he’s exploring all the nooks and crannies in the basement, an item atop a dryer disappears, but when the man looks back, the clothing is there again. It is not exactly the most thrilling or startling of things. But as the sun sets and more of the house’s lore is revealed, the eerier things become. Loud noises come from somewhere in the basement, yet only David is there. A faint voice can be heard from time to time, becoming louder with each reemergence. This means the story takes a while to really engross all the viewers. The recording requirement is a brilliant way to explain why the camera is in one place for so long. But it also means there’s a distinct lack of atmosphere or dread that seeps in.

However, the last 15 or 20 minutes of the 68-minute runtime are creepy and intense. No spoilers, of course, but the finale packs in a lot of tension and intrigue in a short amount of time. Rios shows his range off here as well. David goes from nervous about filming but confident aside from that, to creeped out, shocked, and scared.

LearX is a little boring for the first 20 – 25 minutes. But that is the point. Rios lulls audiences into a false sense of security, only to ramp up the dread once nighttime arrives. As an actor, Rios is okay at first, but really comes into his own as the ending draws ever nearer. While gore hounds will be disappointed, horror fans who appreciate something different that increases the scare factor as the story progresses will like what the filmmaker has to offer here.