Director Ryuhei Kitamura first came to my attention when I saw a screening of his bonkers action/crime zombie film VERSUS in the midst of a 24 hour zombie movie marathon in 2003. That movie was so entertaining, especially in a marathon setting with a crowd laughing and cheering at all the right places, that I was on board to follow Kitamura's career wherever it went from there. It has gone some interesting places, including the kaiju monster mash GODZILLA: FINAL WARS and the Clive Barker adaptation THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN.
Kitamura is working in the horror genre again with his latest film, DOWNRANGE, which is described as "a minimalist thriller with maximum tension" and promises to deliver "nonstop tension from its opening frame".
Scripted by Joey O'Bryan from a story he crafted with Kitamura, DOWNRANGE centers on
six college students who are carpooling cross-country when one of their tires blows out on a desolate stretch of country road. Getting out to fix the flat, they quickly discover that this was no accident. The tire was shot out. With their vehicle incapacitated, the group is pinned down and mercilessly attacked by an unseen assailant as they desperately attempt to find a way to escape.
Kitamura had this to say about the project:
While I've created single location films in the past, DOWNRANGE marks a new style of storytelling for me, wherein sustained, breathless terror in a singular location is what drives the entire plot. We've crafted a film in which is fueled by relentless dread, and are very excited to share it with horror and suspense fans around the world."
The film stars Kelly Connaire, Stephanie Pearson, Rod Hernandez-Farella, Anthony Kirlew, Alexa Yeames, and Jason Tobias.
Produced by Kitamura and Ko Mori of Eleven Arts, with Taro Maki serving as executive producer, DOWNRANGE is expected to reach theatres sometime in early 2018.
The concept of being trapped in a vehicle by an unseen, gun-toting assailant is certainly terrifying. I look forward to seeing how Kitamura brings it to the screen.
Clip from Kitamura's NO ONE LIVES