By Jennica Lynn Johnson, MoreHorror.com
In college, I remember taking a class in which the professor showed a public service announcement that warned young adults about date-rape. The overall message—like in any stranger-danger warning—was that the effects of the incident don’t end with the morning-after guilt and that there is a fair chance that it could have been prevented all together.
It could be easily said that Contracted (2013) is like an hour and a half-long PSA, but it digs so much deeper than that. It reveals the daily self-consciousness and indignity endured by many women and the great lengths to which they are willing to go in order to achieve love and acceptance.
Written and directed by Eric England (Madison County), Contracted tells the story of Samantha, a young woman uncertain of her sexuality and desperate to rekindle her relationship with her girlfriend Nikki. While at a friend’s party, Samantha is drugged and raped, and she awakens the following morning full of shame and little memory of the man who took advantage of her. As her body begins to take on an unusual, grotesque transformation, Samantha attempts to hide from her friends and her mother what is at first believed to be a sexually transmitted disease. However, she soon discovers that what is happening to her is much deadlier.
Contracted stars Najarra Townsend (Menace), Simon Barrett (You’re Next), Charley Koontz (Rubber), and Katie Stegeman (Madison County). The film also stars Alice Macdonald, making her feature film debut, and horror veteran Caroline Williams (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2).
One of the many highlights of this film is its array of distinct, true-to-life performances, especially from the female talent. Budding actress Najarra Townsend gives an exceptional performance as Samantha, one to which many women could likely relate on some level. Townsend proves to be quite resourceful in her use of body language to present a girl who is lost, alone, and highly vulnerable to criticism.
As Samantha’s mother, Caroline Williams expresses great concern and discomfort through her reactionary tone of voice as she strives to understand her troubled daughter and mold her into the “ordinary” little girl that she once knew.
Nominated for Best Feature Film at the Neuchâtel International Fantasy Film Festival in 2013, Contracted sets the bar rather high for aspiring filmmakers. Close attention should be particularly paid to the cinematography, as Eric England and director of photography Mike Testin (Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear), appear to have an eyes for symbolism.
Throughout the film, shots of flowers in various stages can be seen; flowers being cared for, wilted flowers, falling petals, perhaps providing a subtle comparison to the deterioration of Samantha’s body and the way she is treated by the people around her. But the most nightmarish aspect of the cinematography is by far the way in which the cameras follow Samantha so that the audience only knows as much as she knows about what is happening to her.
In addition to the brilliant cinematography techniques, the makeup effects—from the excessive hemorrhaging to the bodily discoloration—are impressive in that they take some common traits seen in modern zombie films and slightly alter them to blur the line between STD symptoms and decay.
Whether you’re a fan of body horror or just a young woman trying to figure out who you are and where you stand, Contracted will not disappoint. So, skip the PSA, grab some popcorn, and sit down with the one you love. Just don’t expect to knock boots when it’s over.