Social anxiety gets its own movie! Larry is a loner who styles himself as an internet troll. When he checks into a motel to attend a friend’s wedding, he meets the nighttime caretaker, Chester, who is a self-styled joker (possibly with a capital “J”), being really into bad jokes as well as messing with people’s heads for a laugh. After the jokes start becoming more intense and go too far, Larry and his sister start to wonder if Chester is really who he says he is. If you have social anxiety, this could very well be a triggering film. From the germophobic troll Larry to the not-sure-what-his-deal-is-but-has-an-infectious-smile Chester, the film has believable characters that have depth a strange way. While it seems you think you know everything about these characters quickly, you actually learn enough to get the story going but there are many hints at more depth in them. Also, the characters actually evolve as the film progresses, something that I’m finding to be an increasing rarity and when it’s done, you’re usually beaten over the head with it. Here, the evolution feels natural given the circumstances. Here’s the thing: This is a low-budget, small-cast indie film that does exactly what a film is supposed to do. It’s written impeccably, kept simple so as not to introduce plot holes, has actual story structure, dynamic characters, and can actually make the audience feel a little edgy even with tongue firmly in cheek. It reminds us that the horror/thriller can be fun and even funny. I haven’t seen other entries of “Into the Dark,” but I’m probably going to remedy this very soon.

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