by Michael Gavino

An act of kindness leads to a spate of murders in the new film Resurrection Mary. Based on a famous Chicago urban legend, Resurrection Mary manages to tell a story of ghosts and murder without falling into slasher movie clichés. Peppered with strong performances, indie audiences who favor character development over gore will enjoy Resurrection Mary.

Jeff Pryce (Kevin G. Schmidt), an awkward high school student, drives down famed Archer Avenue one fateful night when he nearly runs over a teenage girl. Horrified, Jeff runs out of his car when his eyes catch the glaze of the beautiful blond. Love struck, Jeff gives the mysterious Mary (newcomer Pamela Noble) a ride, and manages to score a Homecoming date. After the dance, Jeff gets into a fight with a drunken bully (Dustin Schuetter). When the bully is mysteriously murdered later that night, Jeff becomes a suspect. Jeff’s life starts to further unravel as his closest friends start to turn up dead. Trying to make sense of the tragedies, Jeff confides in his grandmother (Sally Kirkland) who tells him the story of Resurrection Mary. As the police build a case against him, Jeff confronts Mary leading to a shocking ending.

In the hands of lesser filmmakers, this story would be a blood and guts horror film. Thankfully, director Sean Michael Beyer takes a different approach. Focusing on character development and story, Beyer eschews horror film conventions. We never see the actual murders. Rather we see the aftermath and the effects of the violence. Hopefully this will draw moviegoer sick of the same old slasher film.

Perhaps the best part of the film is the great acting. Character actor Richard Riehle chews up the screen as the gruff Detective Mahoney. The young actors Kevin G. Schmidt, Pamela Noble, Kristen Herrera, Sean Marquette, Lauren Storm, and Dustin Schuetter do a great job portraying the awkwardness of youth without falling into stereotypes. As always, watching Sally Kirkland is a pleasure.  Hopefully, great acting and unique storytelling will draw moviegoers to this thinking man’s horror film.

www.ResurrectionMarythe Movie.com