School is starting back up, Fall is in the air, Spirit Halloween is opening its doors, and that can only mean one thing the monsters are upon us. What better time than now to watch a new thriller such as Del Playa, which was made available on North American VOD platforms on July 21, 2017 thanks to Terror Films.
Monsters are not born, they are made. Del Playa goes back to the age-old debate of nature vs nurture. This time it involves the story of Del Playa. Matthew, a seemingly shy yet cute high school student, (Alan Ayala Aexis short 2012, Follow Me short 2015) happens to have a big crush on a popular girl. The Anna Kendrick-looking girl, Claire (Devon Barnes: We Are Your Friends 2015, The Leisure Class 2015), does not accept Matthew’s affections. As these stories oft go, she surprisingly and politely declines his invitation to the Thriller Night school dance.
Matt, supported with a slashed face mask, ice blue contact lenses, and a terrifying costume, is bullied relentlessly by Tim (Ryan Ochoa A Christmas Carol 2009, series Pair of Kings) and his thug friends at a dance tournament, while Claire’s preppy friends mock him. Matt is already suffering from an abusive family life and starts to lose control when a fight breaks out between him and Tim. The fight ends with an altercation that leaves both boys bleeding.
Let’s skip to the college junior year at the University of Santa Barbara, where Claire has transitioned into the field of psychology and is caring for children with special needs. While being a closet Coke addict and Kappa Alpha Beta sorority sister, Claire is also juggling two men at the same time her basketball-playing boyfriend Jason (Andrew Dits Snowden 2016, Saturn Returns 2017) and the empathetic drug dealer Ryan (Tomik Mansoori’s first acting role). As Halloween gets closer, Claire starts to develop night terrors and becomes more erratic. As October 31st approaches, bodies are starting to stack up around little Miss Perfect. Who will be left standing after the biggest party of the year at the frat house, and will Claire make it out alive after her next encounter with the evil Matt-in-black (Brett Johnson The Walking Tedd series, Mighty Med series)?
Although the film is 101 minutes long, Shaun Hart (Victory Blvd 2012, Stars Are Already Dead 2016) wrote and directed Del Playa. It’s a little surprising, considering this is a rather typical Fatal Attraction-type story, that Del Playa has not been without controversy.
It looks like some say the film’s premise relates to Elliot Rodger who, in 2014, killed six of his classmates and injured over fourteen before committing suicide in Isla Vista, California.
Around 30,000 people put their signatures down on a petition for Change. Org claiming that the film should not be released. Hart accepts that, although there are many aspects of both stories that are similar, Del Playa is not a retelling of Rodger’s tale. On this note, it should be mentioned that in an attempt to be socially responsible, Hart decided to donate a part of the profit to Arts for Humanity!, a non-profit organization located in Santa Barbara that aims at empowering low-income, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and the elderly through creative art program services.
The film, Del Playa, is a blend of both mediocre and below average. Some attempts have been made to include discussions of certain psychological issues mentions of Freud and his psychoanalytic personality theory and other items one gets in Psych 101. Debating nature versus nurture within the shutters of a thriller movie that’s obviously targeted at teenagers and probably new adults is slightly off-kilter. For crying out loud, the 17 to 24 demographic doesn’t really give a rat’s ass about hereditary violence. The more blatant Spirit Halloween advertising seems to make far better sense considering this is where the villain’s face mask is obtained from, to begin with.
The reason behind Del Playa’s greatest challenge all boils down to time. Director Hart strangely seems to invest so little time into establishing the character of young Matthew (Ayala) and his story, only showing a single glimpse that portrays Matthew being abused by his stepfather. But there is a sheer lack of effort into depicting for the audience’s understanding of why shy Matt has become so infatuated with Claire, instead, they are forced to see Claire more of a figure whose life Matt dreams of. Considerable time is focused on visual elements that seem more like something out of the newest EDM music video, flashing across the screen to depict parties that barely relate to the storyline. Do teens love them? Yes! The rest of us would prefer more concise storytelling that accomplishes what it sets out to do without turning into a living room rave.
In terms of overly unsettling deaths being killed by a tree branch fire as well as a beer keg, let’s get a little more entertaining, shall we? Hart does try to tackle heavier themes than just blood, guts, and boobs splattered across the screen which, if I’m being honest, is a bold strategy maybe not for this film. Regardless of whether Del Playa is the right film for attacking heavier themes, I can say with confidence that it is infinitely fun to watch and guaranteed to thrill.
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