What Keeps You Alive - Colin Minihan 2018

[horroru]

I've been wanting to write up my thoughts on this for a while, as it's one of my top favorite movies of last year - and I was shocked to see it didn't have its own thread yet.

"What Keeps You Alive" is a horror movie that works best going in BLIND - even the trailer gives away way too much of the plot so steer clear.
I'm doing my best here to provide a review that is purposely vague but hopefully communicates the quality of this top tier horror film.

All you need to know is married couple Jackie and Jules go to Jackie's family summer house on a remote lake to celebrate their 1 year wedding anniversary.
A car pulls up to the house in the middle of the night, and a knock on the door puts slowly mounting horrifying events into motion...

The two lead actresses Hannah Emily Anderson (Jackie) and Brittany Allen (Jules) carry this movie - their performances are amazing and absolutely believable. Their character's experiences are the heart of this film, and both actresses bring an intensity that drives the story. Without full dedication to their characters, this movie fails - and thankfully they bring all they've got.

Director Colin Minihan gets better with each film in my opinion. He directed "Extraterrestrial" and "It Stains the Sands Red" (which is also excellent) but "WKYA" is his best so far.

Minihan has a great eye (as does his Cinematographer David Schuurman); the film is beautiful and atmospheric, capturing the isolation of the house in the woods and the seemingly abandoned lake. The locations are gorgeous, immersing the audience in the desolate woods with the characters.

Some sweeping shots that swoop in over the lake, I assume done by a drone, give this film a production value beyond its small budget.
There is a brilliant and chilling sequence which uses a black light that is quite spectacular to watch.

The choice of music is perfect for the film, some of it written by Brittany Allen herself. At the beginning of the film, the couple is listening to "their song" as they drive to the house, and that song is used to powerful effect later in the film.

If you enjoy horror films with mounting tension and mystery (and of course some bloodshed) you should absolutely give this film a spin, easily one of the BEST indie horror films of last year.
I can't wait to see what Minihan comes up with next.