Indie
[Review] ‘Rebound’ Kicks Your Break Up Story’s Ass
We’ve all been on the receiving end of a bad break up, it sucks. Most of us would love to skip town and start over but unfortunately for Claire (Ashley James), a cheating boyfriend is actually the best of a bad situation. After Claire finds her boyfriend in their bed with another woman she decides to leave L.A. and head cross-country back home to her parents. Along the way, her mental state begins crumbling and she is overwhelmed with anxiety and to make matters worse she finds herself broken down in a small town of odd locals.
As writer/directorial debuts go, Megan Freels shows strong promise with her ability to create fantastically intense atmosphere. I’ll be the first to admit that Claire is not the easiest girl to like at the beginning of this flick, I mean yes she’s the victim of a bad relationship but her constant helplessness grates on you after awhile. But I’ll be damned if I wasn’t on the edge of my seat with her as she drove along into the night.
Opposite Ashley James is Mark Scheibmeir as Eddie the demented mechanic. Both James and Scheibmeir have starred in various short films but Rebound is their first feature length film and both actors put their best efforts in. I know I said Claire is grating, but that is just the beginning of her arc as a fleshed out character; James makes us feel for Claire and identify with the loss of a significant other. As first time antagonists go, Mark Scheibmeir is as peculiar as they come. From the first second, we lay eyes on Eddie the late night mechanic it’s obvious he’s a nutball. What makes his performance truly freakish is his evolution from quiet creepy guy to an outlandish Joker-esque maniac.
My only complaint, and it’s minor, is even at an 84 minute run time I felt it could have been shaven down to a solid 1 hour and 15 minutes. Though the first half of the movie does a great job setting up intense sequences, hell the final act does too, there were times towards the beginning where I was just waiting for them to get on with what was coming. Aside from that, Rebound is a solid first effort from Freels and for that I am ecstatic! This industry needs more female filmmakers like Freeling who aren’t afraid to cross boundaries and write for female horror fans. I won’t spoil the end of Rebound for you but I loved what I saw and I hope that’s the direction Freeling delves into in future projects.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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