In a genre dominated by men, it's a rather refreshing to see that women like Amanda Gusack are out there making some quality flicks. It's also rather refreshing (and a little humbling to my chest-pounding macho side) that Gusack's first feature-length, In Memorium, scared me silly. Not in the cheap, cat jumping out of the pantry way (although the movie certainly doesn't shy from those quick and dirty scares), but in an uncomfortably slow burn, building up itself to an almost unbearable crescendo before finally releasing us at its gut-knotting finale.

Dennis Wade, diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, decides to do what any self-respecting indie filmmaker would do: he and his girlfriend Lily sublet a house which they fill with motion-sensing video cameras to help capture the last few months of his life as he withers away from his illness.

However, one night the cameras capture noises and a shadowy figure in a supposedly empty room in the house. Almost at the same time, Dennis discovers lesions all over his body and begins vomiting blood. His vitality fading fast, he and Lily try desperately to find out the source of their supposed “haunting,” which may tie into the death of a previous tenant almost thirty years before...or does it?

I'm not going to expand upon the plot anymore, as the story is what truly makes this movie so damn good. When you're given a movie with a mere five characters (one of whom, the “ghost” of this tale, is only seen partially and briefly), you better make sure that they're pretty well-developed. Gusack does this by not only infusing the characters with likable personalities, but also by making them realistic and, most importantly, human. Lily in particular, played by Johanna Watts, comes across as particularly tortured, forced not only into the obvious haunted house situation, but also as the caregiver for her dying boyfriend. Her sadness over the imminent loss of the man she loves is quite obviously covered up by attempts at humor in the opening scenes of the movie, but they become more pronounced as the movie, and Dennis' cancer, progress. Dennis, played by Erik McDowell, offsets her almost perfectly. His treatment of her shows true love and caring while slowly pushing her out to arms' length. He knows that he is not long for this earth, and he doesn't want to leave any loose ends hanging. “One good thing about being terminal,” he quips with a gallows grin, “credit companies can't come after you when you're gone.” The two work together perfectly, with their relationship obviously buckling under the strain of their situation. Even the supporting cast members, which include Dennis' brother Frank (Levi Powell) and their landlady (Mary Portser) provide some additional meat to the story, and their brief support adds immensely to the drama. Frank's obvious bitterness towards his brother for past sins (but I ain't saying what) provides a compelling counterbalance to his underachieving, who-gives-a-shit persona. Ms. Sporec, the landlady, provides a little mystery to the proceedings as her “diary” on past tenants is discovered by Lily, giving her and Dennis some clues as to the secrets of the house.

But, despite the occasional visit from an outside character, the isolation one feels in the movie is bleak and overwhelming. Filmed almost completely with the security cameras in the house (the exceptions being hand held camera shots), the viewer is never given a peek into the “outside world” of the movie. There are no scenes where the characters are watching TV or listening to the radio, and anytime someone leaves the house, they simply back out of the frame of the camera facing the driveway. Just as Dennis and Lily are trapped in a house that they can't escape, we are trapped in with them, with no respite from the proceedings. The “docu-horror” that the movie attempts is perfectly executed, better even than other similar films to which In Memorium will be compared to. However, whereas The Blair Witch Project gave us fear through disorientation (an effect cemented in place with its hand held hijinks), In Memorium's consistent shots elicit a totally different kind of fear: the fact that the small home that the couple inhabits has a specter in its walls and that the viewer always knows just where the events are transpiring give you a giddy, voyeuristic high mixed with tummy-turning dread as you become far too familiar with the house.

And then there's the obligatory plot twist, in which Dennis finds out just what is the cause of his illness and the hauntings. Without giving too much away, I can honestly say that the catalyst of Dennis' cancer is really quite disturbing. Not disturbing in a Bleeders/Hemoglobin sense (thankfully Dennis isn't eating pickled fetuses), but in that finding out why Dennis is sick makes his illness and his inevitable fate even more tragic than it was in the first place.

Now, how can one even attempt to discuss picture and sound quality on this one? For a movie that was supposed to come across looking like it was shot on low-quality equipment, it succeeds very well. The overly-digitized look of the low-resolution cameras gives the film a gritty quality that makes everything a little more believable. Couple that with inconsistent sound quality (again, understandable given the tone they were trying to achieve), and the movie certainly looks the part. Gusack and her production crew embrace the poor quality and the “hidden camera” angle beautifully, making even the most harrowing and supernatural scenes plausible through use of static and “electronics failure.” Seeing as how it's a screener disc, all we get is a trailer. I certainly hope that when this gets a proper DVD release, Gusack will record a commentary, as I'm intrigued as hell to hear her thoughts on her movie.

My thoughts? I think that this is one of the best freshman efforts I've ever seen (although Gusack has done a few shorts). I think that Gusack, given experience and a larger budget, could create a true masterpiece. I think that In Memorium is a damn scary, brilliant work and it deserves...no, demands a look.

For more info, check out http://www.inmemoriumthemovie.com