World Narrative Competition : Mr.Jones

USA | Narrative | World Premiere | MIDNIGHT | 2013 | 83 min

DIRECTOR Karl Mueller

SCREENWRITER Karl Mueller

PRODUCER Ross Dinerstein

CINEMATOGRAPHER Mathew Rudenberg

WITH Jon Foster, Sarah Jones, Mark Steger

I was extremely pleased that Tribeca had programmed quite a few horror films which were lined up in the Midnight section of the festival, horror is one of my favorite genres, and I end up finding horror films the most memorable. I can’t even begin to tell you how many horror themed dreams I have a week! Director Karl Mueller co-wrote last year’s post-apocalyptic The Divide which I enjoyed seeing at Fantasia.  With every new festival season a new wave of indie horror filmmakers keep pulling it off and I am so thrilled to mention they are making some beautiful and scary shit.  

Let’s get to it, our leading man Scott (played by Jon Foster) is an ambitious indie filmmaker who wants to make an epic nature documentary, which gives good reason for the POV approach as he documents his surroundings at the lonely cottage he has rented out for him and his girlfriend Penny. The horror genre has taught us that too much time in an isolated cottage with a loved one can go two different ways: healthy, happy and boring or shit is about to get fucked up and you will most likely die a very gruesome death at the mercy of your loved one. Luckily for us they spiral downwards and freaky shit starts to happen when a mysterious hooded man keeps showing up on their footage, wandering in the background. Scott and Penny soon discover their creepy hooded neighbor’s basement and his haunting sculptures. Penny recognizes the art and identifies their neighbor as the cryptic world famous artist Mr. Jones. At this point I couldn’t help my voice screaming inside my head: “WHO IS THIS FREAKY MAN? I NEED TO SEE HIS FACE!” 

Mueller successfully made my palms sweat and managed to make me feel a little freaked out while watching Mr. Jones, I absolutely love losing myself to fear while watching horror films, and it’s one of my favorite ways to escape the horrific realities of the real world. The film’s suspense builds and builds in just the right way making your hands slowly rise to your face to cover your eyes, Mueller includes a faint touch of fantasy and I fucking love it because it ties seamlessly into the plot. Towards the ending of the film, everything you think you know means NOTHING and you’re still left wondering: “WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT DOES YOUR FACE LOOK LIKE?”

 I will be honest and say that not many horror films scare me senseless anymore and that frustrates me, I want to scream as loud as I can, I want to feel my heart beating through my chest and to be able to hear my heartbeat in my ears and think to myself: “am I going piss myself?” Horror films thrill me all the way down into my marrow. Mr.Jones put me through quite the viewing experience and I would recommend it to fellow horror genre aficionados, it is great fun and I hope that Muelller gets the chance to bring Mr. Jones up to the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal this summer and show his wonderful film to our kind of crowds, I’m sure he will instantly fall in love with Montreal and our appreciation for genre films!

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Andrea Boulet
@AndreaMtl