Nailbiter (2012).

Nailbiter? I nearly managed to chew off all of my fingernails while watching this! The suspense is totally overwhelming and had me nearly falling off the edge of my seat when viewing this very creepy and intense indie movie. It oozes atmosphere right from the start and really doesn't let up for the entire duration of the movie.

The Maguire family (a recovering alcoholic mother and her three daughters) get caught up in a tornado emergency while they travel to pick up Mr. Maguire from the airport. When the storm nears, the family take shelter in what appears to be a seemingly abandoned cellar in an old farm house. They soon find they are by no means alone, and have been trapped alongside something far more dangerous than the tornado outside.

This movie works. It also yet again proves that just because you are working with a small budget, does not mean that you have to keep your ideas small. The focus on this movie is definitely the four female leads, and you really do feel for them. The claustrophobia of being trapped really does get to the viewer. You also don't really get a clear look at the 'Big bad' that is terrorizing the cast, which again works in the movies favor, letting the viewers imagination fill in the blanks.

This movie is an incredibly modern and brilliant twist on the monster movie and a character piece. These elements are blended seamlessly throughout the movie, which only adds to the feeling of dread that permeates every shot of this film.

The story really does shine through, and it is an incredibly involving movie, emotionally gripping and frightening too, never allowing the viewer the time to breath and feel relaxed, relentlessly creaking up the tension to an almost unbearable level.

The FX, minus the tornado at the beginning are all practical, which should give old school monster movie fans another reason (if one was needed) to see this movie.

If the indie movie scene keeps seeing releases like this, the line between indie cinema and Hollywood is going to become ever thinner. You have to check out Nailbiter. It really is a prime example of tension filled horror cinema, and for that, I applaud everyone involved in this amazing masterpiece.

Darkest regards......Dani.