STASH (2007)

Starring Karen Boles, Nathan Day, Stacey Gillespie, Kevin Taylor, Debbie Rochon. Drama/Horror Directed by Jacob Ennis.

SYNOPSIS: TWO DRUG DEALERS OWE THEIR BUDDY MONEY AND WHEN THEY CAN'T PAY HE DEMANDS THAT THEY BRING HIM GIRLS TO ADD TO HIS 'STASH'.

If you're a movie buff, or otherwise experienced in the art of sizing up flicks from their box covers, I'm going to tell you this right now, Stash is a hell of a lot better than you think its going to be. Without question.

This is obviously the epitome of the low budget flick come to life, shot by a director and done by actors who, while having some experience, obviously looked at this as a labor of love shot on location in the hills of the great state of Kentucky.

You can tell by the box cover that this is a low budget production, and not "low budget" by normal Hollywood standards, such as a movie like The Ripple Effect, but low budget by literal standards.

Now, as film buffs, we've seen this before, no name, no budget producers and actors making a movie and, usually, when the budget is as low as this one obviously was, the film is 9 times out of 10 only good for laughs. But, Stash is different, in my humble opinion.

Here, though we are dealing with nothing new, basic "damsel in distress" theme where our unfortunate female lead falls prey to two ne'er-do-well druggies who are looking for a girl (or girls) to provide for their psychopath dealer Bud (Kevin Taylor)...who has a group of girls he tortures and ultimately kills in his, yep, you guessed it, stash.

Look, there is nothing earth shattering about the story, the videography, or the script itself. But, in full disclosure, you should know that you're reading the words of a guy who feels that, when you really get down to it, there are only 5-6 different stories out there in the whole world, with hundreds of thousands of variations.

What I liked about Stash is that it felt kind of ....well, real to me. My favorite scene is one in which two cops interrogate the weakest half of the abducting duo and ultimately get him to give up the psychopathic mastermind and maybe (just maybe, you'll have to watch the film to find out for sure) get there in time to save our female lead (Karen Boles) who just so happens to be the daughter of a local retired detective.

As a guy who spent about a decade dabbling n criminal law in the Deep South, I appreciated the interrogation and police scenes...I kind of felt like I was seeing real cops being filmed rather actors playing cops being filmed.

And, as some of you who love low budget horror in whole, or in part, because of the guarantee of seeing naked girls, you're not going to be disappointed here, though to me, the restraint torture aspect takes away from the erotic nature...but, I'm sure, for some of you, it only adds to it. So, though you will not see well known "B" movie babe Debbie Rochon (Playmate of The Apes) in the buff, there are several more you will, including a nude running montage at the beginning of the film.

I like what Jacob Ennis and the Tuckywood Production company have done with next to nothing for a budget, if you are familiar with films like Uli Lommel's Black Dahlia or Murder Set Pieces, you know that much less can be done with much money, all the while complaining about the lack of money. I still think about Murder Set Pieces being made on a budget of 2 million...you would wonder what the people who brought us Stash could do with that, because they made a better flick with a fraction of that.

If you like to see what energetic people can do with no money, or you just love small budget horror, pick up Stash when and if you see it.