Nicholas Hope as the disturbed Thomas Reddmann in Redd Inc.
There are several good reasons to go and see fresh new Australian horror flick Redd Inc., a film that boldly pulls the genre back from the wilderness (where it seems to prefer to reside) and places it in its natural habitat—the office. Watching Redd Inc. is like jumping on one of those ghost trains that take you through nightmare interpretations of real-life situations: the hospital; the scientist’s lab; the funeral parlour, and so on. Like the ghost train, Redd Inc. offers a lurid, heightened experience—too stylised to be realistic, but with an underlying truth that sparks recognition.
The corporate platitudes mouthed by the unhinged Thomas Reddmann—the ‘Boss from Hell’ (no one plays maniacal quite like Nicholas Hope)— are hilariously apt in this context of entrapment, torture and slavery. Newcomer Kelly Paterniti brings chutzpah to the film’s heroine Annabelle Hale; horror fans might be reminded slightly of Danielle Harris. As might be expected from a production that managed to score the services of retired horror effects maestro Tom Savini, the gore is impressive to say the least.
Though largely confined to one room, Redd Inc. is audacious and dynamic. Directed by Daniel Krige and co-written by Anthony O’Connor and Jonathon Green, it’s set for release next year.
