If I had to choose, I'd likely keep director Jason Horton working in the world of action/thriller flicks rather than his recent departure into the world of the indie faith-based market. While it may seem unusual for a filmmaker to tap into such diverse markets, this observation being made by a pastor/film critic with a solid reputation among both faith-based and indie horror filmmakers, the truth is that most filmmakers will go where the work is and there's no doubt that a solid director like Horton is able to effectively handle the diverse genres.

While I've liked most of Horton's faith-based films, he feels more at home in the action/thriller genre where his intentional pacing and natural knack for building tension can be put to its most effective use as is what happens here with The Other Side, a 90-minute thriller about a rash of suicides all being linked to Dustin Carter, a famous screenwriter. The police soon discover, however, that the suicides are actually murders being committed by a masked figure who is now targeting Carter and his family.

The film stars Glenn Plummer (Saw 2, Speed), Brian Borello (Girlfriends, Dark Desire), Samantha Esteban (Training Day, Hard Times), and Linc Hand (42, The Bling Ring) and is the kind of ensemble thriller that may go straight to DVD yet is solid enough that you hope it ends up being released through a channel like Netflix because it clearly does deserve an audience.

Plummer, in particular, is quite strong here but the film also features solid performances by Esteban, the always reliable Brian Borello, and a couple of other frequent Horton collaborators who also show up in his faith-based work, Linc Hand and Courtney D. Harris.

Colby Oliver's lensing is solid and atmospheric, while Nicole Gray's production design adds to the film rather chilling feeling. Horton edits the film himself, and while his sense of timing sometimes feels a tad off with the faith-based flicks it works quite nicely in a film such as this one.

If you get a chance, I definitely recommend checking out The Other Side.

© Written by Richard Propes 
The Independent Critic