In 1986, Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell completed the film that would, in the opinion of many a horror fan, define their careers: The Hitcher. The villainous John Ryder terrorized the hapless Jim Halsey and his doomed romantic interest Nash, cementing writer Eric Red as a talent to watch. Red followed Hitcher up with quite possibly the greatest modern vampire film yet, 1987’s Near Dark. With two films, he stole his place in horror history. The following year, he would direct in his own screenplay, Cohen and Tate, a nifty overlooked thriller starring the one and only Roy Scheider. Following this little triumph, Red directed another two of his own scripts, 1991’s bloody good time Body Parts and the 1996 TV movie Undertow. Following that less-than-spectacular flick came the heavily underrated werewolf thriller Bad Moon in 1996. It would take 12 years for Red to write and direct another horror gem, 2008’s 100 Feet.
Famke Janssen stars as Marnie Watson, a woman convicted of the murder of her detective husband Mike (Michael Paré). After some time in prison, she manages to downgrade to house arrest, which is much less inviting once Mike’s ghost comes back to haunt the holy fuck out of her. This guy ain’t Swayze; he beats the tar out of her every other night, and comes in the form of a blurry apparition with just barely discernible features. While all of this brutality is going on, Marnie is visited by numerous acquaintances, including her sister (Patricia Charbonneau), a priest (Kevin Geer), a pizza boy love interest (Ed Wistwick) and the detective in charge of her case, Shanks (Bobby Cannavale), who has a tendency to hang around her house and spout theories about why she looks like she just went a round with Jake La Motta.
Janssen was a smart choice for the lead role. I wouldn’t have thought “Jean Grey!” when casting this project, but she plays the tough “ex-wife” quite well, with a few small instances of a wonky New York accent the only cons of her performance. It’s practically a one-woman show for the most part, so when she starts yelling into thin air, provoking her invisible spouse after he has thrown a goddamn army of glass dishes at her face, it’s quite remarkable that she comes off as imposing rather than, well, a dumb bitch. After this point, if you weren’t rooting for her in the first place, you will start. She’s a great leading lady and carries the movie practically by herself (because, really, who expects the guy from the crappy “Cupid” redo to carry a whole film?).
The rest of the cast does a capable job. Cannavale is fine as the torn detective who doesn’t know whether to trust his ex-partner’s legacy or the woman who killed him, though the idea of his character being put in charge of the case is hard to digest. It seems like they would put someone a little less biased on the case, but whatever. Ed Westwick was probably the most welcome actor aside from Janssen, and it’s legitimately sad to see him meet his inevitable end, which I’m sure will be equally unpleasant for the overzealous “Gossip Girl” fans out there who choose to seek this out. He acts as a positive force in Marnie’s life, and while we don’t get too deep into his background, we peep in on enough of his little pizza boy psych sessions with her to give us an understanding of his cool and composed character. As for Michael Paré… well, we only really see him as a ghost, so there’s not much to say about his performance other than that he was fucking intense. Yep, that pretty much describes it.
As far as the gore quotient goes, there’s not a whole lot. However, 100 Feet does contain some rattling, tense moments and serious beatings for Janssen, as well as one of the more violent deaths I’ve ever witnessed in a horror film. To go too in-depth about it would spoil the moment, but suffice it to say that it comes out of nowhere. Just when the creepiness has passed over and we’re back in one of the film’s islands of safety, BAM! Hardcore ghost violence. Bones are broken, blood gushes over Mike’s invisible face like a more vicious Hollow Man, and in the end it is a legitimately shocking, ugly moment that some might turn away from while others will be glued to the screen with the words “Bitchin’ violence, man!” sliding past their eyes. Even if you’re not into ghost flicks, the whole affair is worth this one, drawn-out moment. 
While the film never reaches the awesome heights of The Hitcher, it has its own classic feel that unfortunately suffers from what I like to call “Elm Street Syndrome”. The immortal classic A Nightmare on Elm Street is full of great moments, but its nonsensical ending could have easily ruined its chances of a huge following, despite the great moments previously presented. Likewise, 100 Feet has the feel of an original take on the haunted house genre, but is undone in the final ten minutes by a lackluster, ridiculous ending. Many might complain about Red’s cheap, cop-out ending for Near Dark, but it’s The Sixth Sense in comparison to this series of retarded moments, punctuated by a seriously overdone moment, complete with dodgy CGI. That being said, I did like the effect of Mike’s Michael Myers-like ghost face peeling off to reveal himself for a brief moment before, well… just watch it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel a at least a little bit betrayed once the credits start to roll. If this happens, just sit back and think about all of the good times you had. The great leading lady, the tension, the villain, the fantastically ferocious violence…
Oh, and John “Arrow in the Head” Fallon makes a cameo as the techie who installs and attaches Marnie’s electronic anklet. It’s always nice to see the Arrow, and it’s a much bigger role than his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Saw II. So add that to the list of awesomeness to overpower the piss poor ending. It’s worth it.
7/10
