Writer/director Chandler Balli goes meta with Method. The meta-angle comes from the story, which is about the making of Tapeface III. See, Balli has actually directed, written, and starred in Tapeface. The gimmick here, though, is that the director of the movie-within-the-movie, Derek Ryan (Balli), and his leading man, Trevor (Travis Lee Prine), are killing the actors in the death scenes for the slasher they are producing.
Actors Liz (Madison Oakley), Tommy (Aaron Vargas), Heather (Alana Phillips), Scott (Ben Pritchard), and Jevin (Johnny Tman) are all excited to work on Rapeface III. However, the odd way Derek and Trevor, who wishes to be called by his character name of Eric, work puts the cast on edge. The filmmaker and star use the full crew for b-roll and the like, but dismiss everyone except for the victim in the scene. Then Derek shoots, Trevor maims, and the actor struggles until they die. But the fact that no one returns after their big scene starts conspiracies and suspicions across the set. Are Derek and Trevor murdering the actors solely for the sake of artistic authenticity?
“…the director of the movie-within-the-movie, Derek Ryan, and his leading man, Trevor, are killing the actors…”
Method is not the first film about murders on a movie set, nor will it be the last. However, it is one of the most clever. For starters, the film wastes very little time once the fictional movie is officially underway in letting the viewers know what the deal is. This choice eschews jump scares, meaning the horror comes from whether the two psychos will get away with it. Next up on the clever barometer is the dialogue. It sounds so natural, even when Derek is being pretentious (which is a lot). The actors don’t just recite their lines; they make each one seem to be a real thing they would say. Finally, there’s the ending. Nothing will be spoiled, but the final 10 or 15 minutes are genius. This finale takes the film from good to extraordinary. It also cements the themes of obsessiveness, art, and whether evil lives in everyone.
Elaborating a bit on the second point in the above paragraph. Yes, the screenplay is wicked smart, but without the right actors to portray these characters, that wouldn’t matter. While a few of the minor speaking parts are not good — the auto mechanic is dreadful — the major players are excellent. Balli sells Derek’s obsessiveness with authenticity well and comes off as truly crazy. Prine is very funny when not killing and terrifying when murdering. Oakley excels as the final girl, bringing grit and determination to the part.
Method is a horror film that is smart enough not to rely on jump scares. It is engaging enough to keep audience members riveted to the very end. It is well-acted enough, for the most part, to make its setup and world believable. While not every directorial choice works, such as focusing on the tree tops while people are looking for a watch in the lake, the directing is sharp. The film only had a budget of $3,500, and Balli and company accomplished all of this with only a few snags. Imagine what the filmmaker could do with $1 million or $5 million. Now that would be something to see.
"…smart enough not to rely on jump scares."
