P2

3.5/4

Starring: Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley

Rated R for Strong Violence/Gore, Terror and Language

"P2" is your basic horror movie done very well.  It's got your terrified heroine (complete with great cleavage and a great set of pipes).  And it's got your creepy villain, who reminds us why seemingly nice guys are sometimes the scariest.

Angela (Nichols) is a workaholic New Yorker staying late on Christmas Eve.  Her family is nagging her to come home ASAP, and she's got a lecherous co-worker (Simon Reynolds) apologizing for getting to frisky with her after the office Christmas party.  When she finally gets her work done, she finds that her car won't start.  The garage attendant, Thomas (Bentley), is helpful, but doesn't fix the car.  A cab comes, but the door is locked.  That's when she's attacked with chloroform and is chained up in Thomas's office wearing a new dress for his Christmas dinner.

The film is essentially a frightening game of cat and mouse.  That's okay, because the script by Franck Khalfoun (who also directed), splatter pack member Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur keep throwing new wrenches in the story.  Sure, like all horror movie heroines, Angela does some dumb things, but she also does some smart ones too.  Thomas may have planned this night of horror out, but Angela isn't going to play along.

Although there is some of the red stuff (including a very gory scene involving a car), the scares in "P2" are more psychological.  Thomas is a relentless pursuer, and he always knows where Angela is and what she's doing.  Like in this instance, video cameras are used effectively in this movie, and like in all good horror movies, it's got a firm sense of atmosphere.

The acting is solid.  Neither actor is crying out for Oscar attention and Angela and Thomas aren't going to go down in history like Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but Nichols and Bentley get the job done.  Rachel Nichols does exactly what she has to: get us on her side and not be incredibly annoying.  Wes Bentley, most famous for his portrayal of Ricky Fitts in "American Beauty," is quite good as the overly-friendly Thomas.  He's an erotomaniac, and the way he plays Thomas as a nice guy makes him creepy in the same way that Anthony Perkins was in "Psycho."  No one else has much screen time except for these two.

The three writers were behind the French horror movie "High Tension," and the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes."  This is a less sickening horror movie than either of those, mainly because Khalfoun doesn't revel in the violence to the degree that Aja did.  Khalfoun relies more on atmosphere, which he has a good sense of, than violence and gore.  The scares come from how far Thomas is pushing Anglea's poor psyche, and what will happen if he catches her.

"P2" is centered around Christmas, and woe betide anyone who picks this up for some Christmas cheer.  That being said, this film is worth watching any time of the year. Especially in this scorching weather since its chilly flavor will cool you down considerably.

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