Jake's Missing Girlfriend

Bruce Von Stiers

Jake is a guy who's just returned home from serving his country in the middle east. He, his girlfriend Samantha, her brother Will, and Will's girlfriend Erica are going to check out a supposed haunted hotel. But it was really a surprise party for Jake.

That is the beginning of the mystery horror film Insane Like Me? What starts out as a good time ends up being something horribly different.

There is a lot of folklore about the hotel where the party is being held. The sheriff has warned people not to trespass there as it could be dangerous. There's a stigma about the place and supposedly there are a bunch of missing young woman that might have a connection to the hotel.

The following is a bit of a spoiler. Jake and several other party goers are attacked by vampires. But these vampires had seemed like normal people at the party until they weren't. Several people are killed, and Samantha disappears.

Jake is taken in for questioning, but nobody believes his story about vampires. He is committed to an asylum for the criminally insane.

Nine years later, Jake is released from the asylum and is seeking answers to what really happened that night at the hotel and where Samantha might be if she were still alive.

Britt Bankhead played Jake. He also co-wrote the film's screenplay. He appeared in an episode of This Is Us and produced and starred in the limited series Winchester. His company, Bankhead Productions, was the production company for the film.

Chip Joslin directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay. He's voiced characters in several video games and appeared in several films. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the action film, Mad Bad and was a producer for the horror film, A Blood Story.

The editor was Jon Blaze. His previous film editing credits include Swipe Right, The Front and Cerebrum.

The cinematographer was Francios Frizat. He was the cinematographer for such horror films as Boggy Creek and Humans Vs. Zombies.

The film's composer was Edward Antonio. He also composed music for the films Code of Thieves and Triggered among other thrillers.

Grace Patterson played Samantha. Her credits include starring in Killing All My Sisters and Slotherhouse. Not only was Samantha Jake's girlfriend, but she was also the sheriff's daughter.

Paul Kolker played Will. He co-starred in films like Wicked Season and has appeared in films such as Causeway. Will is Jake's best friend and, as I mentioned earlier, he is also Samantha's brother.

Samantha Reddy played Crystal. She starred in the short film Mosquito and the feature film Soulmates. Crystal is Samantha's younger sister and is trying to investigate what happened nine years ago.

Marie Wetherell was Erica. She appeared with Lar Park-Lincoln in Ghost Party and with Sharon Stone in Mosaic.

Jack Maxwell played the doctor at the asylum. His character has a pivotal role later in the film. Aside from hosting Booze Wars, Maxwell has over fifty screen credits, both in television and on film.

One of the key actors in the film was Eric Roberts. He played the sheriff, who just happened to be Samantha, Will and Crystal's dad. From the Coca Cola Kid through this film, Roberts has well over 700 films under his belt.

Some of the actors appearing in minor roles include Scarlett McAlister, Erica Muse, Hanna Dannely and River Perkins. McAlister appeared in shows such as Grimm and Criminal Minds, she also appeared in films like ExTerminators. And she co-starred in Fissure, a film I reviewed back in 2009. Muse has been in over a hundred films and was a stand-in for Chirara Auerila in Cruel Summer. Dannely co-starred in Damon's Revenge and God's Will. And Perkins has appeared in films like Raveland.

Also appearing in the film were Blake Higdon, John Wirt, David Dulcie, Bo Jimeson, Michael P. Gardner, Jason P. Kendall, Stephanie Rhodes, Ryley Hall, and Marissa Patterson.

There were some decent songs in the film, especially Just This Side of Insane by Keaton Simons, which played during the closing credits.

The film takes a few liberties with things. The vampires do have fangs but seem to feed on people like zombies instead of vamps. Or maybe that's the way some vampires are being portrayed these days. The timeline of Jake's incarceration in the asylum and subsequent release seems a bit skewed as well. And Jake has been back around for a while, but everybody thinks he just came back recently, because nobody's seen him out and about. And we are to believe that even though there have been news reports and articles about the murders and disappearing people, the feds hadn't been there to investigate any of it. Or maybe they had been, but it wasn't considered to be an important part of the story.

Overall, with the exceptions I noted above, I liked Insane Like Me? The acting was good, not overly dramatic or too campy. The action sequences were all right, and the special effects were decently done. The plot had some predictable parts but kept me guessing what the ending might turn out to be.

Insane Like Me? will be available on June 4 th , 2024, on VOD and streaming outlets such as Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Google Play and Amazon.

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© 2024 Bruce E Von Stiers