GUSH - Exclusive Review

I recently had the fortunate opportunity to view an early screening of the upcoming “psychosexual horror-thriller” film, entitled Gush. The feature, which is both stark and surreal in its cinematography, comes from the creative team behind Bandit Motion Pictures, the studio responsible for such genre entries as Harvest Lake, Plank Face, and The Bad Man.

Written and directed by Brian K. Williams and Scott Schirmer (whom we previously interviewed HERE for Horror to Culture), and starring the lovely and talented Ellie Church, Gush is not a film that’s easily defined or categorized. There are layers here, and things aren’t always what they seem. The title itself conjures images of blood, birth, and yes, orgasm.

Indeed, Gush is a very sexy movie, which follows a struggling writer who has recently undergone a traumatic event. Yet, it isn’t gratuitously sexualized, nor is it without purpose. The colorful psychedelic shots of this film, and juxtaposition of eroticism and horror, creates an artful equilibrium of imagery and themes.

It’s a story of loss, finding our personal voice and creative muse, and possibly even redemption. I won’t pretend to know all of the messages being conveyed here, however it’s a film that keeps you thinking about it after the credits are rolling, which is always a good thing. For the sake of spoilers, I’ll say no more.

Frequent collaborators, Brian K. Williams, Scott Schirmer, and Ellie Church have created their own horror universe over the past decade, and with Gush they provide a very in-depth behind the scenes peek at the process of indie film making, with several incentives for sponsors and backers through their Indigogo fundraising page.

I’m always impressed when a film of this caliber can be produced for under $20,000 dollars, and it’s also creatively inspiring that all of the film makers have a special connection to my home state of Indiana. Scott Schirmer directed his cult classic film Found here in 2012, and Ellie Church co-starred in its disturbing sequel, Headless, a few years later.

Along with the acting, direction, and cinematography, Gush also has a very cool soundtrack which adds a lot of atmosphere to the scenes, as does the presence of an adorable cat by the name of Pancho Meatbrick, who steals the show and is deserving of a Fangoria Chainsaw Award! Not to be left out, the vivacious Alyss Winkler, who serves as the mysterious inspiration along the way.

I can’t help but to mention here, that an extremely appropriate double feature would with with a pairing of the 2018 film Peripheral, which also deals with a struggling female writer trying to find her muse and next book. The screenplay is by artist Daniel Schaffer, who we previously spoke with HERE at Horror to Culture,

And this is the portion of my review where I stress the importance of supporting independent artists and filmmakers, purchasing physical media, and giving modern, low budget horror, a chance. Gush will be making its theater premier in Atlanta this June, while the Blu-ray will be going out for preorder this summer, with wider availability later in the year. Be sure to check it out for a healthy dose of of something different!

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Michael A. Dyer is the host of the HORROR TO CULTURE podcast, vidcast, and website.