A retro-styled grindhouse flick set in the 70's and styled to mimic old school muscle car thrillers with touches of classic horror, Johnny Priest's 12-minute Desdemona 6 is a stylish and fun thriller centered around Chrissie (Katie Bearden) and her hot-headed boyfriend Travis (Jason Mac).

If you're familiar with grindhouse, then you likely know what to expect from the style and sensibility of Desdemona 6, a film that will likely not please everyone but those who enjoy it are absolutely going to love it. Chrissie and Travis are out on a date when they encounter a strange muscle car on an isolated country road six miles outside the small town of Desdemona. A seemingly harmless encounter quickly leads to much more, and before long the two are fighting for their lives against this car and its mysterious driver.

There's no question that Desdemona 6 will bring back memories of Christine among other films, a fact that works both for and against the film. It's hard not to watch the film without reflecting upon other films, not always a good thing when a film's only running 12 minutes and any attention loss can lead to missing a key scene. That said, our couple here certainly gets into the rhythm of a grindhouse film and, in particular Bearden, into an old school melodrama that you can't help but keep watching. While Mac is just fine here, Bearden is the real gem as one would easily see her as a 50's Hollywood siren starring in an old James Dean movie.

Desdemona 6 will soon be out and available on DVD with a package that will include quite a few features including the film's teaser trailer, a commentary and a storyboard feature sure to be awesome.

Watch the film's website linked in the credits for more information.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic