ARROW FRIGHTFEST (digital edition): I Am Lisa
frightfestPatrick Rea's werewolf throwback I Am Lisa is a fun and entertaining revenge B-movie romp that never takes itself overly serious and is gleefully exploring its horror tropes.
Plot and character are paper-thin, but it is the blood, guts and genre that speak for I am Lisa throughout. It is clear from the opening sequence that director Rea is passionate about his feature – and it shows. Granted, Rea is also working on a tight budget but, nevertheless, successfully crafts an engaging and gory story.
The story itself, while aforementioned to be slim on plot, does both a decent job of exploring its own mythology to an engaging degree while also homaging the quintessential 1980's revenge plot. The latter of which really digs deep on the horror aspect to a satisfactory degree of blood spilled. The gore is never overly excessive or ridiculous to the point of oblivion and, while used in moments of 1980's lore, is still effective.
Kristen Vaganos holds her own throughout as the titular character. Again, while the screenplay does not particularly afford the actress a significant amount of depth, Vaganos does a splendid job of exploring the physicality and physiological disturbance of her character. All in all, while Patrick Rea's I am Lisa will not be the next defining genre classic, it is no doubt an enjoyable film to watch with passion bursting out from the whole team.
