Release Date: August 9th, 2013 (Limited)
Currently available on VOD platforms
Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle
MPAA Rating: R
Film Pulse Score: 7/10
Chad Crawford Kinkle’s Jug Face can be categorized in that rare breed of horror that instead of gore and jump scares, it relies on atmosphere and overall creepiness. It’s a deftly shot slow burn of a film that provides bizarre intrigue and a constant state of uneasiness. The premise alone should be enough to bring viewers, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty damn good as well.
The film stars Lauren Ashley Carter as Ada, a young girl who falls in love with her brother and becomes pregnant. As if this weren’t bad enough, the mysterious pit that the community worships demands Ada as a sacrifice. Now Ada must try to escape her creepy back woods family and get herself and her unborn child to safety.
The title comes from how the pit lets the villagers know who it wants. It possesses a man named Dawai (Sean Bridgers) and has him create a moonshine jug sculpted to look like the chosen’s face. Ada discovers her jug while Dawai is still in his trance and hides it in the woods.
In addition to this being an intriguing story in and of itself, the director doesn’t bother holding the viewer’s hand through needles exposition to explain how it all works. No voice over, no ancient looking texts, no single moms investigating the pit on a library microfiche. We learn about the rules and how it works organically, which is hugely beneficial to the overall flow of the film.
Though this is very deliberately paced and much less frantic than most horror films, it still provides more than enough disturbing imagery and plenty of blood to get under your skin. Mountain people are creepy enough, but adding in mystery pit worship and when one of them is Sean Young, look out.
Unfortunately, Jug Face does have some issues, which can mainly be attributed to its low budget. While all the cinematography looks great, there are a few scenes that require some CG work that doesn’t quite have the same feel as the rest of the film. There were also some rough patches in the performances, mainly coming from Sean Young, but nothing too jarring.
Jug Face is a surprisingly deep, atmospheric, horror flick that will keep you guessing despite the fact you have no idea where it’s going. It doesn’t shy away from its subject matter and it’s not afraid to be something different. This is a very solid feature debut from Chad Crawford Kinkle, and if he stays within the genre, I can see him doing very good things for horror. Remember, the pit wants what it wants.
