THE WAITING (Film Review)

 

Starring: Nick Leali, Molly Ratermann, Laura Altair

Directed by: F.C. Rabbath

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Horror films and hotel rooms over the course of cinematic history have gone hand-in-hand on multiple occasions - some with completely terrifying results, and others with a somewhat softer touch, however still frightening in nature. Director F.C. Rabbath's latest presentation, titled The Waiting gives the audience a couple of new employees with not much luck on their side to get in and out of a room in just under a minute before some rather spooky goings-on take place.

Our duo of grime-fighters consists of Eric (Leali), a poor schlub who is about as unlucky in love as a fella could get, and Sally (Altair). Together they're facing a hectic first day at the hotel and compounded with the daunting task of a less than 60-second cleaning frenzy in room #101 before the ghost of a dead girl (Ratermann) shows up...let's just say that a short lunch break is the least of their work complaints. As the film moves along, we see a connection of sorts between Eric and his spectral counterpart - although silent, she appears to act as a mirror-image to Eric's hang-ups and general psyche situation. It's actually a nice avenue that Rabbath leads his audience down, as his production not only offers scares but some genuine laughs and feel-good moments as well.

The performances from the three main characters were simple, non-complicated, and enjoyable at varying levels - I can normally latch onto an annoying portrayal in damn-near every film and harp on it relentlessly, but there honestly wasn't one to be found. At the end of it, all The Waiting is a watch that might not satiate the die-hard "needs a scare-a-minute" horror fan, but rather will appetize those looking for a toned-down exhibition of how the living and the dead can connect on a level that might defy rational explanation to the tamer crowd. It certainly did not come as advertised, but that isn't always a nail in the coffin for some films - in this case, it worked out quite nicely. At the time of this review, the film was being shopped around to film festivals, so as soon as we get a concrete release date, we'll let you loonies know what's up.

FILM RATING: 3.5 out of 5