ScaryNerd screened Save Me From Everything at the 2021 Annual ScreamFest. Spoilers Ahead!
The fear of aging isn’t a novel concept; most of us, in some way or another, fear getting older for a variety of reasons. However, growing older brings genuine anxiety because of one’s heredity, family secrets, generational travesties, and a ticking clock. With a special screening at the 2021 Annual ScreamFest, director Normal (Anthony Baldino & Ryan Lacen) explores when the past gives the middle finger to the future in the supernatural mystery Save Me from Everything.
Emmy (Paige Henderson) lives with her pregnant sister, drinks too much, dances when no one is looking, and has a birthday coming up. As her 30th birthday approaches, the idea of aging takes on a much more haunting notion. When a planned trip to Gorey, Ireland, sends her down the rabbit hole of Genealogy. She blindly reaches out to a Patrick Sullivan (Brendon McCay) to shed some light on the past as the two family’s ancestors were neighbors.
She stays in her ancestral home, which has been abandoned for years, surrounded by images of relatives she’ll never know. Meeting up with Patrick doesn’t go quite the way Emmy anticipated, and the Irish brogue stranger she imagined, turns out to be an America escaping his murky past. Obsessed with morbid tales, unemployed and a fledging street poet, Patrick is quickly making Emmy regret reaching out. As her frustration mounts due to lack of information on the part of Mr. Sullivan, Emmy doubts that she has the right man. However, his charm begins to grow on her, along with a few pints, and she stays.
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When a disturbing vision in the restroom starts her questioning her senses, Emmy leaves with Patrick again, probing for more information. During a moment of vulnerability on her new friend, Emmy once again begins to dance to music only she can hear, captivating Patrick, and they return to her home. We see the dynamic change, and the line between prey and predator is blurred.
Wandering through the streets of Gorey, she appears lost, not just in the town but in her head. Waking up alone, she questioned whether the night even happened, as dark images began to appear more frequently, and her behavior became more erratic. She needs to find Patrick, and for something special, she has been planning on the eve of her birthday. But will his deception find him having a night to remember, or will he be left wishing he had stayed away?
I would wonder if the dancing was written into the script or developed during character study. Henderson is a presence on screen, capturing a woman in distress, having a nervous breakdown, and fearing an ever-present ticking clock. Her use of motion and ballet-like movements give fluidity to her actions as she floats from scene to scene. The activity of her hands reminds me of a way some people with autism use rubbing fingers to calm themselves down. It’s a bold choice that works with her arc.
McCay bounces back and forth, being a complete creep who is conning this desperate traveler to a man whose been hurt and is guarded but says the right things at the right time to get himself out of conflict, a natural silver tongue. His portrayal of Patrick has you caring for him, all the while wondering if he can be trusted, is a tightrope of a performance that he pulls off.
The setting in the town of Gorey enhances the supernatural elements of Save Me from Everything. Cobblestone streets, warm pubs, and crumbling ruins paint a backdrop that feels plucked from time and adds a layer of mystery and magic to the landscape of the film. Cinematographer Peter Castagnetti captures the otherworldly beauty that is Ireland. The warm tones from the greens of the fields, the glowing ambers of the pub lights, and the glassy grey tones of wet cobblestones contrast so well with the nightmarish blues, purples, and violets during dream sequences. Which makes a feast for the eyes and evokes so much visually.
The traditional Celtic themes in the score and music make me yearn to be back in Donegal, Ireland, having a pint with my family listening to live music. I’m glad they chose to include the sounds of the people and culture to give the audience a total immersion into this county. Emmy and Patrick feel like people from another time wandering the streets as their American dialect contradicts everything we see and hear around them.
Haunting images and the picturesque landscape of Ireland blend seamlessly to tell the story of one woman’s journey to save herself and her family line, no matter the cost to her soul. Engaging performances and intelligent storytelling give the Save Me from Everything narrative swimming in mystery. The film will put you on edge as we’re dragged closer and closer to the inevitable breaking point. Lacen and Baldino give us a folktale for a modern age, wondering if our own family’s behavior is hereditary or cursed.
Save Me From Everything is currently making its way around the festival circuit. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd and we will keep you updated when this film will hit screens.
K.B. O’Neil is an artist, writer and musician living in Cincinnati, Ohio. He loves movies, books, video games, snuggling his two pups and all things Horror. When not working he can be found getting into adventures with his wife and their new daughter.