Brent Hanley Movies
- 2007
Prolific screenwriter Brent Hanley (Frailty, Masters of Horror: Family) makes the leap into the director's chair with this short film concerning a young girl (Elle Fanning) who teams with her dead father (Jonathan Tucker) to free herself and her mother (Amber Heard) from an abusive relationship. In attempting to escape the tyrannical grip of her violent stepfather, however, the girl soon finds that her unique plan has some unexpected consequences. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elle Fanning, Amber Heard, (more)
A successful young couple moves into a posh neighborhood inhabited by a killer who is far from the benign suburbanite that appearances would suggest in legendary horror director John Landis' second installment into Showtime's Masters of Horror series. David (Matt Keeslar) and Celia Fuller (Meredith Monroe) seem to have everything a young couple could want: good jobs, a great house, and plenty of money. David is a hardworking doctor and Celia is an investigative reporter with a knack for always getting to the bottom of the story. Upon moving into their new neighborhood, the Fullers soon make the acquaintance of their new neighbor Harold (George Wendt), an outwardly amiable single man who seems to be quietly occupied by his job and his hobbies. One night while drunkenly driving home from dinner, David and Celia jump the curb and slam into Harold's mailbox. After inviting Harold over for dinner in hopes of making amends for their clumsy transgression, the couple soon reveals that they have moved into the new neighborhood in a bid to recover from the recent loss of their young daughter. As the pair gradually becomes better acquainted with their jovial neighbor, it soon becomes obvious that all involved have their fair share of dark secrets. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meredith Monroe, Matt Keeslar, (more)
Actor Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, as a mysterious man (Matthew McConaughey) tells a terrible tale to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) investigating the "God's Hand" serial killer case. The man grew up in a small town in Texas, where he and his brother lived a bucolic life with their kindhearted widower father (Paxton). One night, the father awakens the two boys, Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), and tells them he's had a vision, and God has chosen him and his sons to help Him slay demons who walk the earth in human form. He tells the boys they can never tell anyone about this task. Before long, he comes home from work with a list of names that he claims an angel has given to him. He then begins abducting people, bringing them home, one by one, and having the boys watch while he lays his hands on them. After having proven, to his mind, that they are demons and not human, he chops them up with an axe while the boys look on. Young Adam is eager to participate, seeing his family as "kind of like superheroes," while the older Fenton is distraught, believing that his father has lost his mind. He contemplates running away, but is reluctant to leave his little brother behind. Eventually, he goes to the authorities, which results in disaster. As he tells the story, McConaughey takes Boothe out to the public rose garden near his old home, where he claims his brother, the "God's Hand" killer, buried the bodies. Paxton dramatizes the mayhem while leaving almost all of the gore offscreen, and Brent Hanley's script leaves the true motives of several characters unclear until the very end. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
