The Caretaker is a creepy tale with some nice plot developments and a crazy old lady at the center of it all.

Watching the trailer is always a good indication for most movies, but The Caretaker delivers so much more than you would expect. Of course, the one thing from the trailer that you will get to enjoy, is Sondra Blake playing her heart out as the older lady with shady intentions.

To be fair, I have to admit that I first thought the supporting character of August was annoying and preppy in the worst way. He plays the boyfriend of the old lady’s grand daughter, so he’s a pretty big part of the story. As it turns out, he is actually a very interesting character and Sean Martini portrays him perfectly. So much so, that I almost felt bad for disliking him at first.

What I really took away from watching The Caretaker is the fact that a great story or great characters can carry a movie, but when you have both, the magic begins to happen. There’s no huge budget behind this movie, but you won’t think about that while watching it. Both sound and images are crisp, so your focus will remain on the story.

The Caretaker 2016 horror movie

Also, they manage to give you some real insight to several of the characters, which is no small feat for a movie with a runtime of just 80 minutes. Then again, this is exactly what’s possible, when you take away all the stereotypical scenes. Even the obligatory horror movie sex scene won’t play out as you expect!




Sondra Blake is a crazy scene stealer in The Caretaker

I’ll gladly rave about the good story, interesting characters and perfect pace of The Caretaker, but really, you should watch this movie for Sondra Blake. There’s a scene where she’s just dancing around in some sort of trance, and I could’ve watched that for the longest time. She is so damn intense and honest, which will freak you out! She’s the biggest sweetheart towards her grand daughter, Mallorie, while almost hissing at the boyfriend. And she’s not some creeper pretending to like him, when Mallorie is there. Oh no, she’s pretty brutal and direct all the time.

The Caretaker 2016 horror movie starring Sondra Blake

In case the name Sondra Blake sounds familiar, but you can’t quite place it, I can tell you she was in the 1976 movie Helter Skelter (about Charles Manson).  She’s also guest starred in lots of TV shows, and yes, she was previously married to Robert Blake.




Even though Sondra Blake is very memorable, the rest of the cast is amazing as well. From Meegan Warner, who is the actual star of the movie, to Barry Jenner (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Chanel Celaya. Both have small but important roles. You might recognize Chanel Celaya from a small role in the 21 Jump Street movie or the “Gravel to Tempo” music video from Hayley Kioko. Celaya became Tumblr famous almost immediately as “headphones girl”. And of course, Sean Martini is excellent as the boyfriend, August.

A new horror duo?

Jeff Prugh directed the movie, which is his debut directing a feature film alone. He co-directed Leave of Absence back in 2013, and did four short films prior to that one. Based on The Caretaker, I certainly hope he’ll do more in this genre, cause it really works very well with him at the helm. The script was by Jeremy Robinson, who also wrote one of the short films Jeff Prugh has done. In fact, those are the two scripts Jeremy Robinson has enjoyed seeing produced. Maybe this is a new horror duo to follow? I’ll definitely be ready to watch whatever either of them come out with next… and yes, my expectations are set accordingly.

The Caretaker is out on VOD starting September 30, 2016.

Details

Director: Jeff Prugh
Writer: Jeremy Robinson
Cast: Meegan Warner, Sondra Blake, Sean Martini, Chanel Celaya and Barry Jenner

Plot

A young woman returns home to care for her gravely ill grandmother, only to begin sleepwalking and envisioning spirits.




Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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