The Genesis Project

Writer/director “Spanky” Dustin Ward’s The Genesis Project drops us into a small town where women are turning up dead, and nobody has any answers. When a group of college students decides that catching the killer could be their ticket to fame and a scholarship, they get in way over their heads.

In a college psychology classroom, Professor Davis (Michael Flynn) assigns students to work in groups for a semester project. Group 9 turns out to be an unlikely mix. David (Ryan Hennessy) is the insecure nerd of the bunch, quietly carrying a torch for Tiffany (Christa Wennerstrom), the most popular girl in the class, who happens to be dating Roman (Brando White). Roman and his sidekick Grover (Halem Medina) are the bullies of the group, more interested in coasting through the project and pushing David around than doing any actual work. Then there is Stacy (Cooper Sutton), another bookworm, but one who is not afraid to push back when Roman gets out of line.

With a wave of murders terrorizing their small town, the group settles on serial killers as their semester project. The plan is to research the killer and try to come up with a psychological profile in hopes of catching him. Their first meeting covers the basics: a serial killer is defined as someone who has killed three or more people. But soon, there is dissension in the ranks. David feels like he’s doing the heavy lifting, and his frustration builds as Roman and Grover hang back and let him do it. Tiffany doesn’t recognize this version of David, which destroys any affection she has for him.

“They decide to use Tiffany as bait, but the plan goes horribly wrong.”

The students decide to go further than any classroom assignment requires, using what they have learned to profile the killer and set a trap to catch him themselves. They decide to use Tiffany as bait, but the plan goes horribly wrong. Tiffany is almost killed, and the sheriff tells them this needs to stop. They agree…until they can’t help themselves.

The Genesis Project is this nice little indie gem. A group of college students tries to solve a rash of kidnappings and murders by a serial killer, and now add this strange interaction between these students—bullies vs. nerd, hot chick deciding between the bully and nerd, and then everyone has their own motivation to solve the crime, whether it’s for ego or fame.

I haven’t even turned to the twist of the story halfway through, where this dysfunctional dynamic ratchets up the danger and the stakes. I can’t say enough about this cast, who were up for the task and brought their own dynamic to the characters. This interplay runs at a level three in the first half, then ramps itself up to a ten in the second. The acting and plot are exactly what you’d expect from a low-budget indie, and smart audiences might figure out the end, but filmmaker “Spanky” Dustin Ward knows how to build tension, which is the foundation for an engaging story.

“Spanky” Dustin Ward proves you don’t need a big budget to deliver a genuinely fun thriller with real tension and characters worth watching. The Genesis Project is a wild ride, and it’s well worth your time.