JENNIFER HELP US is the most authentic throwback to the classics of the 70’s and 80’s I’ve seen since the decade ended. Taking homage from the likes of FRIDAY THE 13TH, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and even the suspense driven tales from the Giallo genre, this is one not to be missed.

 

Three mean teens led by Tara (Alaina Dawn Sharp) kidnap another girl, Jennifer (Rachel Brennan Leyh), in the search for the truth about a rape that Jessica fell victim to. Taking her to an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, the history of the house begins to come alive as one by one, the girls fall victim to the hands of a masked woman.

 

Filmed and edited on a next to nothing budget ($3,000) it is a miracle that JENNIFER HELP US is even half the film that it is proving once more that good filmmaking is in the eye, not the wallet, of the beholder.

 

Written and directed by independent and first time filmmaker Juan Ortiz, the biggest surprise here is that it was filmed and edited entirely on an iPhone 4S, as far from the era the movie is based on yet feels every bit of a video nasty for it. Every detail, from pace to the framing (taking an untraditional 4:3 rather than the standard 16:9) add to the charm. Ortiz’s passion for the genre is evident throughout and Jason Voorhees may have just found his bride in the Woman.

 

Managing to hold from the blood and guts until its final moments, JENNIFER HELP US is nerve-shreddingly tense and plays within its budget limitations extremely well. Where 2015's retro homage, WE ARE STILL HERE felt like a love letter to the era, here lies the real thing.

 

A montage of horror from the films of the golden age of the genre, the film takes inspiration but never imitates its idols. At every turn, JENNIFER HELP US is every bit as chilling as it is entertaining feeling like an undiscovered gem rather than the modern retrospective it would be considered. Everything from the wardrobe to the pulsating soundtrack ripped straight from a Carpenter movie, feels authentic and the stars all hold their own as bullies turned victims in one of 2016’s must-see movies. The only thing that would make this more authentic would be for the film to be watched on a VHS.