JP Nunez
One of the great things about the horror genre is that it gives filmmakers a way to explore deep and emotional themes without having to sugarcoat the dark side of the human experience. Horror movies have free rein to show just how bad life can truly be sometimes, so their messages often hit us on a visceral level that other genres can only dream of reaching. In fact, horror films are often at their best when they use their more typical, often fantastical genre elements to make a point about the real world, and the upcoming movie The Way Out aims to do exactly that.
It’s about a man named Alex who was abused by his father as a kid, and after his father dies, he comes under the tutelage of a charming stranger. This person teaches Alex how to finally stand up for himself, but their relationship eventually leads Alex down a much darker and more dangerous path than he could’ve ever imagined.
The Way Out was written and directed by Barry Jay, and it has deep roots in his own real-life experiences. Here’s what he had to say about the film:
Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Sometimes it gives you the time and distance to gain the clarity to see how badly you were mistreated and the courage to finally do something about it. That was me—I moved out of an abusive household when I was 20 years old. I had been abused until after I was a senior in high school. Severely underweight, shut down, feared everyone and everything and with good reason. Sobriety was a gift that helped me heal through all of that, a day at a time and that is the inspiration for The Way Out.
My hope is to send a message to the abuser and the abused. To the abuser, I hope to show the ripple effect of their heinous actions, and how it can boomerang back to them, rightfully destroying their lives. To the abused, I hope to show there is hope, hope for better days, ability to find the self-esteem and strength to create boundaries, how forgiveness can be the thing that helps you finally drop the rock so you can create a better new and healthy life.
That sounds really intriguing, and to get us even more excited for The Way Out, I’m happy to bring you an exclusive clip from the movie. The clip doesn’t feature anything overtly horrific, but it shows us just how emotional this story is going to get. And let me tell you, it hits pretty hard. It’s only a minute long, but if the rest of the film is just as heavy, I can’t wait to see it.
Check out our exclusive clip of The Way Out below, and you’ll get a chance to watch the full movie when it comes out on VOD on February 10.
