Mystery spot

Covering genre film festivals such as Fantasia (Canada), Frightfest (UK), Fantastic Fest ( allows us to discover quality independent films but above all to get out and discover them often before they find a distributor. It is a real desire on our part to broaden our current vision of world cinema and understand how with rather limited means it is possible to succeed in captivating a large audience and to offer them different stories with more or less success. Within the framework of the Frightfest festival we discovered the film Mystery Spot written and directed by Mel House (Fade to Black (2001), Closet Space (2008), Psychic Experiment (2010)).

We must admit that Mystery Spot is a film with a really original tone that seems to play with a certain ease with the pre-established rules of people trapped in a place and who must search for elements of their past to better understand how to get out of their forced isolation. We discover several people taking refuge in a small motel in the middle of nowhere, whose only feature is the ruins of an old Mystery Spot, a long-gone roadside attraction with strange metaphysical powers. Nathan [Graham Skipper] and Rachel [Lisa Wilcox] comfort each other, both trying to escape dark pasts that seem to use the Mystery Spot to move from being painful shadows in their lives to very real entities in the present. 

The psychological evolution of the characters is at the center of this film and each of them will have to confront tragic incidents from their past as the place where they find themselves could almost seem like a location from a Twilight Zone episode. While Nathan seems to be interviewing the different guests of the hotel, Rachel is trying to find a meaning to her life. Their meeting will really plunge the film into a disturbing dimension in which we will quickly learn the meaning of the existence of this motel and the reason why these people are there. 

We feel that the budget of Mystery Spot is a micro budget and explains the presence of a single place for all this film and the fact that it is in an isolated place. However, the director manages to hold our attention by paying particular attention to the psychology of the characters and especially by an ending that we do not see clearly coming. Mystery Spot is interesting to watch and shows that Mel House knew how to surround himself with a good cast to come up with a different and quite successful film.

Mystery Spot
Written and directed by Mel House
Produced by Mel House, Lyle Kanouse, Caroline Metz, Audrey Wasilewski . 
Starring Graham Skipper, Lisa Wilcox, Debbie Rochon, Julie Osterman, Seán Patrick Judge
Music by Josh Loucka
Cinematography : Ken Whiting
Edited by Mel House 
Release date : August 30, 2021 (FrightFest)
Running time : 111 minutes

Seen on August 27, 2021 (Frighfest press screener)

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