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I prefer my thrillers to be much bigger in scope with car chases, computer hacking, and ticking timebombs. Shut In is a good start for a very new production company. The highlight is the non-verbal glances between a few grams of meth and her mother’s Bible. But, unfortunately, she’s trapped by those demons in her past. She hits the right note as a woman struggling to get beyond her mistakes and better her family’s life. There’s more to her role than just acting scared and yelling through a door. The entire movie rests on the fantastic performance of Rainey Qualley. Considering the budget and that this is the first feature from Daily Wire, it’s loaded with a lot of formerly disillusioned production talent grateful for a chance to make a high-quality film outside the Hollywood system, and it shows. Everything from composition to camera movement to lighting is top-notch. Though it doesn’t have the feel of a big cinematic thriller, Caruso manages to build a high level of suspense in such a small space, as the action is beautifully shot. The fact that the entire thing is shot in a single location and that for seventy percent of the runtime, it takes place in a pantry is more than enough of a tip-off. “… shoves Jessica back in the pantry, takes her phone, and nails the door shut…” Once again, making matters worse, someone arrives at the house, and it’s not Rob. Lainey is scared and hungry, and the baby does what babies do. Jessica is again trapped with no one to help, leaving Lainey and her brother helpless on the other side. Goaded by Sammy, her angry ex shoves Jessica back in the pantry, takes her phone, and nails the door shut, impaling her right hand. Jessica lets Rob know she is moving away, beating around the bush that Rob’s addiction is the main reason. But, there’s an even worse problem, as he brought his friend Sammy (Vincent Gallo) along, who everyone suspects is a child molester. Unfortunately, Rob shows up to let her out. As the house is secluded, little Lainey is unable to help. While preparing to move, Jessica gets stuck in the large kitchen pantry (I would kill for it) and can’t get out. She’s currently living in the dilapidated home of her deceased mother and getting ready to sell the house, cash out, and get as far away from her drug-addict ex-husband Rob (Jake Horowitz) as possible. Jessica (Rainey Qualley) is a recently separated mother of toddler Lainey (Luciana VanDette) and her infant son. So let’s save the politics for the comments section and dive right into this thriller. I will say the trailer makes it look like a Christian thriller, but it’s not (thank God!). After watching this, I can claim that it has very little to do with the site’s main content. I personally don’t read it, but it’s not hard to figure out their bent. Caruso and writer Melanie Toast’s Shut In is the first feature film coming out of the infamous website Daily Wire. in early 2022 exclusively on The Daily Wire.Director D.J.


When talking about the script, Caruso said he was excited to direct a “fiercely independent film that seeped into creative DNA.” He went on to say, “I was given the creative freedom to craft a film that features a flawed, but graceful character that must fight addiction, and dire circumstances to find light in a very dark place.” It was originally placed at New Line Cinema, with Jason Bateman attached to direct, but things didn’t pan out with that.Īfter that project fell apart at New Line, Sonnier took it to Daily Wire and they signed on to executive produce the film. The screenplay for the film comes from Melanie Toast, and producer Dallas Sonnier ( Bone Tomahawk) who discovered it on the Black List website. The movie stars Rainey Qualley ( Ultrasound) who plays the young mother who is locked in the pantry by her violent ex-boyfriend, and “she must use ingenuity to protect her two small children from escalating danger while finding an escape.” This movie looks absolutely brutal as the story focuses on a mother who is barricaded in a pantry and terrorized by a couple of intruders and she has to find a way fight to protect her kids. I’ve got a new trailer here for you to watch for a crazy intense-looking thriller from director DJ Caruso ( Disturbia, Eagle Eye) titled Shut In.
