There is always a bit of trepidation about one-night stands; well especially in horror films anyway.
In Bill Neil’s short Role Play, let’s just say that things get a bit out of hand.
A twenty-something man Mark is invited to an older man’s mansion-like house, whom he met at the local club and a game of role-play starts but will it have deadly consequences?
Once the rules are decided and a safe word assigned Mark makes his way upstairs through a hypnotically decorated corridor of rose wallpaper that feels like something plucked out a Twin Peaks set design storyboard.
Things start to get strange when Mark is asked multiple questions via paper cards laid up against the glass door, is he gonna get more than he bargained for?
Role Play shifts gear pretty fast, featuring some imagery that could make David Cronenberg squirm.
This short is also notable for featuring a cameo from queer horror royalty Paul Etheredge, well-known for directing the 2004 gay slasher Hellbent.
Role Play plays with some conventions of a one-night stand but is much farther reaching, with its surreal and strange imagery it will certainly intrigue audiences.
Role Play screens as part of the Overlook Film Festival 2023.
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